Once the Dust Settles
by RavensFirefly
Summary: Naraku's finally dead. Kagome returns to her time, and the Shikon no Tama is in Inuyasha's hands. The end of one journey, turns out to be the beginning of another. InuSan
1. Goodbyes and Separation

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Disclaimer, which applies to all chapters: Inuyasha? Belong to me? Ha! I don't even own an Inuyasha plushie... but I want one!

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They stood around the well silently. The words they wanted to say echoed throughout their minds, but none said a thing. It had been a long journey; one filled with tragedy, joy, sadness, anger, and maybe even love. But now... now, it was over. Naraku was dead. The Shikon no Tama was complete. And all that was left, were goodbyes.

"Kagome..." Shippou began, his green eyes wide and filled with tears, "Will you ever come back? I don't want you to leave forever."

Kagome smiled slightly, hugging the young kitsune, "Maybe I'll come back one day, Shippou-chan." She said quietly, though she knew, as well as everyone else did, that she wouldn't be able to return once she left. After the Shikon no Tama's completion, she had given it to Inuyasha. And without the jewel, she wouldn't be able to travel back to the Sengoku Jidai anymore.

Shippou nuzzled his face against Kagome's neck as his little paws clutched onto her shirt, "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. Everyone." She replied, looking at the others.

The kitsune sniffled and leapt out of Kagome's arms, running back towards Kaede's village; where he would be living from now on.

Kagome watched his tiny form disappear, before letting out a sad sigh, and sitting back on the ledge of the well. Shippou was taking it pretty hard, and she knew she would probably end up crying once she was in her own era once again... "So... what are you going to do now the jewel is complete?" She asked, speaking to the others there, wanting to prolong her leaving as long as possible.

"Kohaku and I will return to our village." Sango said, casting a slight smile in the direction of Kaede's village, where her brother was waiting, "Once we get the village cleaned up and rebuilt, we'll offer to train people, so we won't be the only taijiya left."

Miroku came up to stand beside Sango, as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "And I'll be there to help you, Sango."

Sango nodded a bit, blushing slightly. They did have a marriage promise, after all. And now that Naraku was dead, and Kazaana was gone, they could finally fulfill that promise.

Kagome smiled slightly; glad to see her friend happy. And Sango really deserved to be happy, after everything that had happened, and Kagome couldn't be happier for her. Turning her attention to her silver-haired companion, she realized he hadn't said anything for a while, "Inuyasha? What are you going to do now that you have the jewel?"

The hanyou was silent for a moment, before donning his characteristic smirk and tossing the jewel into the air. As he caught it again, he replied, "Become a full-youkai of course! It's why I wanted the Shikon no Tama in the first place."

"Of course." She said, laughing a bit. Then, swinging her legs over the edge of the well, she looked down into its dark depths, "Well... I guess I should go then." She prepared to jump into the well, but stopped suddenly, "Oh, almost forgot!" She turned and stood up, walking over to Inuyasha, "I should've done this a long time ago, but here." She said quietly, as she lifted the bead rosary from around his neck. As she held them in her hands, they glowed a faint purple color, before fading to their normal color once again; the subduing spell was broken. It was strange, she thought as she looked at the rosary, Inuyasha was so much stronger than her, and yet he couldn't lift it off himself because of a simple spell.

"Inuyasha." The miko said quietly, looking at the hanyou once again. "Osuwari."

Inuyasha winched from pure instinct, and closed his eyes. Even though the necklace had been removed, he was still used to hitting the ground at that one word. Slowly, though, he opened his eyes again and let out a barely audible sigh of relief, "Finally." He muttered under his breath.

Kagome smiled, and giggled at his reaction, then handed him the beads, "Here. You keep them... as a reminder... of me. I'll never forget you, Inuyasha... or Miroku-sama, or Sango-chan. I'll miss you all. Be sure to tell Kohaku-kun goodbye for me, Sango-chan." Looking around at her friends one last time, she offered them each a final smile, before turning and disappearing into the well. A light blue glow rose into the air for a few, brief seconds, and then she was gone.

The three remaining people stood in silence for a moment, before Sango finally spoke up again, "Well, Kohaku's waiting, so I guess I should get back to him. Maybe we'll meet again, Inuyasha." She said, looking to the hanyou momentarily. Then, turning to Miroku, she asked, "Are you ready?"

The monk nodded, "Of course, Sango. Lead the way." He said, placing a hand on her back. Though, it wasn't long before his hand began to travel lower... much lower.

"Houshi-sama..." Sango said quietly, in a sickenly sweet voice.

"I'd had hoped after Naraku's death that you would actually begin using my name, Sango." Miroku said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Well, you know what I had hoped for?" She asked, in that same sweet voice. But, before Miroku could answer, she continued in a more angrier tone, "I'd had hoped that you'd stop groping me at every turn!"

**__**

SLAP!!

"But, Sango, I thought since we were going to live together--"

"Mou, that doesn't mean I want you to start groping me!"

As the pair continued to argue, Inuyasha turned his back to them and rolled his eyes, "Bye, then." He said, though he was sure they hadn't heard him. Then, without another word, he leapt into the air and disappeared into the surrounding forest.

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AN: Yes, yes, I know! I have no business starting another story; not when I'm still working on Kakera no Unmei, but this idea just won't leave me alone! So, here it is.

So, why is Kohaku alive? Why does this sound like a Sango/Miroku story? What will Inuyasha do with the Shikon no Tama? Why do I always ask questions? The world may never know o.o Okay, seriously, this will be an Inu/San story (as if you could expect any less from me), and Kohaku's life, along with other things, will be explained further into the story. Until next time, ja! And please review!


	2. The Shikon no Tama!

**AN:** Thank you for all the reviews! To answer a question that everyone seems to be wondering; no, I am not going to kill off Miroku. He's not a personal favorite character of mine, but I don't want to be attacked by rabid Miroku fangirls ::looks around cautiously:: But, once Sango and Inuyasha reunite, that's when you'll find out what happens to Miroku.

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Winter came, and winter went, and the slightly warmer spring weather soon began to set in.

The sun was shining brightly overhead. And a gentle breeze blew softly through the trees, causing a few loose leaves to dance gracefully through the air. Above, a stray cloud drifted lazily through the sky, casting shadows about the area. In the trees, unmoved by the calming breeze, birds sang their songs of joy while they flitted about their newly hatched children.

Back on the ground, grass and flowers swayed gently in the breeze as it blew across the lands. Creatures of the forest scurried away from the feet of the humans that treaded through the cool, dirt paths. And the humans, meanwhile, screamed in terror.

Amongst all the yelling, a few voices rang out over the others, letting anyone within hearing distance know about the dangers.

"Demon!"

"It's attacked the village!"

Through the mass of running villagers, two figures ran in the opposite direction that the villagers were going. While the villagers were running away, these two people, along with a fire-cat demon, ran back towards the village.

"Are you ready, Kohaku?" Sango asked, glancing over to her younger brother.

The boy nodded his reply, as he reached back and removed his sickle-like weapon from where it hung around his waist; preparing to use it if need be.

Sango nodded slightly as well, then looked ahead again, "Let's go!"

As they drew closer to the village, they began to hear sounds of the demon attack; various things crashing, the growls and sounds of the demon, and occasional screams from the less-fortunate villagers who were unable to escape.

"Kirara!" Sango called, glancing to her neko companion. She knew that they had to get to the village fast, and Kirara was their best hope for that.

The fire-cat jumped into the air as her tiny body was surrounded with flames. When the flames died down, she was in her larger form. Kirara then moved closer to the two taijiya, as Sango, followed by Kohaku, hopped onto her back. Once sure that neither would fall off, the fire-cat raced to the village.

The trio arrived at said village in time to see a very, very large spider-demon was what had caused all the trouble.

"Spider..." Kohaku whispered uneasily as he unconsciously tightened his hold on his weapon.

"It'll be okay, Kohaku." Sango said, knowing what he must be thinking about, "Its just a regular spider-demon."

Again, the boy's only reply was to nod. And then, on Sango's word, the two taijiya leapt off of Kirara and ran towards the demon.

Kohaku gripped his weapon tighter as they neared the demon. Finally, he threw the blade towards the spider, though he was sure to keep hold of the chain.

The blade sliced easily through one of the spiders front legs and hiraikotsu made quick work of the other. And, once the legs were immobilized, the trio moved in to make the final blow.

The spider proved to be tougher than they had originally thought, but they did, finally, bring it down and kill it.

Once it had stopped moving, Sango brushed a few strands of loose hair back behind her ear before lowering her mask and giving a satisfied smile, "Nice job, Kohaku."

Kohaku smiled slightly as well, and began to wrap up the chain part of his weapon, "You did most of the work, ane-ue."

Sango looked towards Kirara, intending to congratulate her as well, but stopped when she saw Kirara nudging the spider's body, "Kirara? What's wrong?"

Kirara sniffed at the demon, then suddenly took a bit out of it, surprising the two taijiya with her. She then returned to her mistress' side and dropped what she had bitten off of the demon. The fire-cat then looked up at Sango, her large crimson eyes blinking as she mewed.

Sango bent down, her eyes narrowing in confusion, "What is this, Kirara? What-- eh?" The taijiya stopped suddenly, noticing something shining underneath the blood and such. Cautiously, she reached out to grab the item, and she was surprised to find that it, whatever it was, was solid. Giving Kirara a quizzical glance, she began to wipe away the blood; revealing a small, round jewel.

"Shikon no Tama?!" Sango gasped, astounded to see the jewel in her hands, "But..." She trailed off and looked at Kohaku, wondering if she was really seeing the Shikon no Tama or not.

Kohaku looked form the jewel, to his sister's face, "Ano... didn't you tell me that the jewel was given to your friend?"

The young woman nodded as she stood up again, "Hai... Kagome-chan gave it to Inuyasha before she left. So..." Again, she trailed off. She shook her head slightly, before walking towards her hiraikotsu, "Come on Kohaku, Kirara, our jobs finished, so we can return home now."

"What about the Shikon no Tama?" Kohaku asked, tucking his weapon under the sash around his waist.

"We'll keep it." She replied, resting a hand against her weapon, "Its not like Inuyasha to loose something like this, so..." Sango paused for a moment then added, "So, we'll take it with us."

Kohaku nodded as he lowered his exterminators mask, letting it hang around his neck. He smiled, but it quickly faded as a red and silver blur dashed in front of him, towards Sango, "Ane-ue!"

Sango turned at the sound of her brother's voice, but she wasn't quick enough. The taijiya was quickly pinned to the ground as a rough hand grabbed her wrist; the wrist of the hand that held the jewel. Instinctively, she tightened her hold on the jewel, before looking up into her attackers face. She made a surprised sound as her own eyes met with familiar golden ones, "I-Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha froze the instant he heard his name, "Sango?"

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**AN:** Ah, I know, I took the easy way out with the Kohaku and Sango versus demon-spider thing! I can't write fight scenes so I just kind of... ah, please don't hate me! -;; Also, I really have to find out what Kohaku's weapon is called.


	3. Reuniting

AN: I'm sorry, I do realize that the last chapter (chapter 2) was short, even coming from me. But, everything that needed said, was said, and I didn't want to draw things out. So... I apologize, again, and hopefully this chapter will make up for it. Now, what happened to Miroku? Read to find out! ::hides from Miroku fangirls... just in case::

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Inuyasha blinked, then quickly jumped up, landing a foot or so away from the taijiya. When he had attacked, he hadn't been thinking about who it was that had the jewel. All he knew was that someone had the Shikon no Tama; _his_ Shikon no Tama. He looked back, noticing for the first time that both Kohaku and Kirara were giving him a curious look. Turning back to Sango, he ducked his head down a bit; feeling slightly embarrassed, "What are you doing with my Shikon no Tama?"

Sango shook off her surprise, and stood up, as she looked at the jewel again, "The demon that we were hired to exterminate had it... But-- ah, you could at least apologize for attacking me!"

"Apologize? Attacking you? Keh! Sango, if I attacked you, you'd be dead!" The hanyou replied in a 'that's a fact' tone of voice.

Sango rolled her eyes, before crossing her arms, "If you say so, Inuyasha. But, if you were so willing to 'kill' me for having the jewel, mind explaining how and why that demon had it?"

Inuyasha looked off to the side, crossing his arms as well, "It's a... a long story, and its really none of your damn business either!" Turning to look at her once again, he added, "Now are you going to give me _my_ Shikon no Tama back, or do I have to take it from you?"

The taijiya frowned slightly, "Great to see you haven't changed much." And then... it hit her. He _hadn't _changed. Not a human. Not a full-demon. He was still half-demon Inuyasha. Uncrossing her arms, she leaned closer to him, "You... haven't... changed... at all."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, moving back. Before he had met Kagome, Miroku, Shippou, and Sango, he had never been one who enjoyed physical closeness. And, since he had spent the better part of a year alone, he was once again not used to it, "I've changed!"

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant." Sango said, shaking her head slightly, "I mean, yeah, I guess you have changed, but I mean, you're still you. Well, of course you're you, but what I mean is..." She trailed off and sighed. This really wasn't coming out like she had wanted it too... "Inuyasha, what I mean to say is that you're still a hanyou."

"Yeah..." He replied slowly, raising an eyebrow slightly, "What of it? You got a problem with that?"

Again, she shook her head, "No, I'm just... surprised. You were so set on becoming a full-demon that... its surprising to see this jewel." She said, looking at the jewel that she still held.

Inuyasha snorted, "That's it? You're not going to give me that 'I'm so glad that you decided not to change yourself' shit? Or even if you were, don't bother. I already heard it from Kaede-baba and Shippou."

"Inuyasha, of course that's it. What you do with the Shikon no Tama is your choice, not mine." She said, smiling slightly, "I said it before, and I'll say it again, if we were still traveling together, and you became a full-demon, I would've stayed with you. So, why should it bother me if you decide to become a full-demon or not?"

The hanyou looked at her, giving her a questionable look, "When did you ever say that?"

"After one of the times you had transformed into your demon-like state. Remember? It--" The taijiya stopped suddenly, looking away for a moment, "Oh... that's right. I told Houshi-sama that I would stay with you. I guess I forgot to tell you... Sorry, Inuyasha."

"Houshi-sama?" He grinned, and moved slightly closer to her, "After all this time you're still calling Miroku 'Houshi-sama'? I thought that you'd start using his name by now."

Sango huffed, and crossed her arms once again, "It doesn't really matter what I call him anymore."

He was quiet for a moment, trying to decide what she was saying. Finally, he frowned and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?

She frowned as well, as she started drumming her fingertips on her arms, "What do you _think _it means?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you!" He replied, frustrated by her acting as though he should know the answer.

"Ane-ue means, Miroku doesn't live with us anymore." Kohaku said, walking to where Sango and Inuyasha were standing.

Inuyasha jumped, looking at Kohaku. The hanyou had nearly forgotten about him and Kirara being there. But then, what Kohaku had said sunk in, "Miroku doesn't..." He looked back to Sango, "I thought you two had a marriage promise. Why'd he just leave?"

The taijiya looked at her younger brother for a moment, before looking back to Inuyasha and relaxing again, "He didn't just leave. We both decided that it was for the best. After Naraku's death... we realized that, that was the only thing we had in common; we had both wanted to see him dead. We were too different. With his kazaana gone, Houshi-sama wanted to settle down and start a family. With my brother back, I wanted to rebuild our village and train people to become exterminators. Houshi-sama said he would help us, but, we wanted two different things. So, in the end, he left."

"Oh..." He said quietly, not being able to think of anything else to say at the moment. "So... that was it then? And how've you been since then? Did you ever start training people like you wanted?"

She nodded, and smiled slightly, "Hai... You wouldn't believe how good the village looks now. If you hadn't seen it the way it used to be, it'd be hard to imagine it empty and destroyed."

"Is that so?" The hanyou questioned, grinning, "And just how is this 'business' of yours coming along? Are there a lot of people who would willingly go head-to-head with a demon while most would just run away?"

She laughed a bit, "Its not a business, really, but, remarkably, there _are_ people who are willing to learn our techniques." She smiled again, falling silent for a moment, "How have you been? You mentioned Shippou and Kaede-sama earlier, do you live near them? Or what?"

"Yeah right, I had enough of that brat when we were hunting for Naraku. Why would I want to live anywhere near Shippou now?" He asked, wrinkling his nose as if the very thought was something horrible. "I see them every now and then, its nothing special."

Sango shook her head slightly, it was obvious that the hanyou cared about the kitsune, even if he did try to hide that fact. She held her hands in front of her, and looked at the Shikon no Tama once again. Inuyasha sounded so sure that he wanted to become a full-demon. But... if that were true... why hadn't he done it?

"Ane-ue... Shouldn't we head back to the village now?" Kohaku asked, looking up at his sister, "If we're not back soon, everyone will start to worry."

Sango jumped slightly, snapping out of her thoughts, then looked to Kohaku and nodded, "Oh, right... We probably should. Ano..." She turned to Inuyasha, handing him the jewel, "Here, Inuyasha. It was... it was nice seeing you again." She added.

The hanyou nodded as he took back the jewel, "Seeing you wasn't so bad either, Sango." He said with a grin. "Now, I guess its goodbye again."

"I guess so..." She replied quietly, "But, Inuyasha, would..." She bit her lip, looking away for a moment. She had missed her friends; all of them. And, quite honestly, she didn't want to say goodbye again. Not when she didn't know when and if she'd get to see Inuyasha again. Turning to him once again, she continued, "Inuyasha... would you... do you think that-- well, if you didn't have anywhere else-- ano... Do you want to come back to the village with us? I mean, its been a year since we've seen each other and, to be honest, it'd be great to just be able to talk to you again. Of course, you don't _have_ to come if you don't want to... If you have somewhere else to go, then that's perfectly understandable. But... do you think you'd like to come back with us? Maybe for just one night?"

Inuyasha, who had been ready to leave again, turned back to face the taijiya, as he listened to everything she said. Though he wasn't one to admit such a thing out loud, he had missed everyone as well. They were his friends; the only friends he had ever really had. They had been the only one who had accepted him for who he was, and he missed being around them. He looked at Sango, and couldn't help but smirk as he noticed her fidgeting with her hands as she awaited his answer. Well, what did he have to loose? "Sure, Sango." He replied simply.

Though, by the look that appeared on Sango's face, you'd have guesses that his reply was something great. But, in her mind, maybe it was something great, "Really? Great! Let's go then." She said, sounding, oddly, happier than she had for a while. The taijiya smiled and picked up her hiraikotsu, before making sure it was strapped securely to her back for the trip back to their village.

Kirara gave a happy, "Mew!" And leapt into the air, transforming to her normal size once again. She landed on Inuyasha's shoulder and licked his cheek, purring happily.

"Ack! Oi! Sango, get your cat!" He said, wiping off his cheek and motioning to Kirara; though he made no move to push her away from him.

Sango laughed, glancing back to the hanyou, "She's just happy that you'll be coming back with us, Inuyasha."

"Keh, she doesn't have to lick me though." He mumbled, stuffing his arms into the sleeves of his haori and following behind Sango and Kohaku.

Sango merely shook her head as she looked ahead, _'Nope... he hasn't changed at all...'_

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AN: Well, that was fun to write n.n;; As always, please review! Ja!


	4. Back to the Village

AN: Ah... if feels great to be writing once again n.n I just needed to take a little break after finishing up _'Kagami to Ai'_. But, I'm back, and I hope that this story turns out as well as that one did. Without further ado.. onto the story! (Responding to reviews will begin next chapter)

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The trek back to the taijiya village was pretty uneventful. Inuyasha seemed content with just walking behind Sango and Kohaku with Kirara remaining where she was on his shoulder.

Kohaku would occasionally look back to Inuyasha, then look ahead once again with a thoughtful expression on his face. While most of his memory had returned to him over time, there were still parts of his mind that were blank. He remembered most of what he had done on the night of his first extermination, but things between then and Naraku's defeat were sketchy at best. While his sister had told him about her friends and their journey to complete the Shikon no Tama, he didn't know those friends too well... Aside from Miroku, that is.

Kohaku's actions didn't go unnoticed though. Sango glanced to her brother curiously, wondering just what he was thinking. When the boy looked back to the hanyou once again, Sango nudged him and gave him a 'what are you doing?' look.

The young taijiya gave an embarrassed smile, feeling slightly embarrassed about being caught, but merely shook his head. "I'll meet you back home, ane-ue!" He said. And, before she could object, he was running ahead.

Sango sighed slightly and shook her head. She didn't know what he was thinking.. The sentry towers of the taijiya village began to come into view, and she smiled. It was always a welcomed sight, even if it had been nearly a year since the village was rebuilt.

"Oi, Sango."

Inuyasha's voice brought her out of her thoughts, and the young woman glanced back to him, before slowing her pace and falling into step beside him, "What?"

The hanyou inclined his head towards the village, giving Sango a brief, side-ways glance, "The people at your village... what will they think about a half-demon coming back with you?"

"They won't mind.. Well, they may be a little wary of you at first. But, one of the first things we teach them is that not all demons, or half-demons, are evil." She replied, smiling slightly, "Kirara is proof of that."

"Mew." The kitten purred, hearing her name mentioned. Giving Inuyasha's cheek another lick, much to the hanyou's dismay, Kirara then jumped onto Sango's shoulder and curled her tails lovingly around her neck.

Sango scratched the neko under her chin and tried to bite back a laugh as Inuyasha again wiped off his cheek and mumbled something about Kirara's show of affection.

He snorted and folded his arms across his chest, "Somehow I think a little cat and someone like me would affect people differently..."

The taijiya again smiled, "It'll be fine." By that time, they were close to the gates of the village.

But Inuyasha wasn't convinced. He stopped and caught Sango by the wrist before she could go any further, "Damn it, Sango! I'm not going in there without knowing whether or not they're going to attack me for being half demon!"

She frowned and turned towards him, "Inuyasha do you really think I would bring you here if I thought you were in danger? You're my friend, don't you trust me?"

He glanced off to the side and was quiet for a moment before replying, "Yeah... I guess."

"Good." She said, with a slight nod of her head. "Then let's go already." She added, pulling free from his grasp and taking hold of the sleeve of his haori. Then, she began walking again, pulling him along after her.

"O-Oi! What are you-- You don't-- Keh! I can walk by myself you know!" He said, though he didn't try to pull his arm back.

She smiled and glanced back at him, "I know you can. But this way, I know you won't run away."

The hanyou snorted, "I don't run from anything." He muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Of course not." She replied, looking ahead again as they walked through the gates.

Inuyasha looked around briefly as they entered the village. The only time he had been there, it had been in ruins. So, seeing it alive, so to speak, was new to him. He noticed a few people glancing curiously in their direction, but no one said anything to him or Sango.

"The men are generally the only ones that we train in the extermination techniques." Sango explained, glancing back to the hanyou. She was glad to see that he had seemed to calm down since they had entered the village, and she couldn't help but wonder just what he had been through since they had last seen each other... "We teach the women how to properly remove all traces of a demons youki from the armor and weapons we make. That way, demons won't be attracted to us so strongly. And, for those who don't wish to fight demons, but still wish to help, we teach them how to repair the weapons and armor."

He nodded slowly, and turned his attention back to her, "Sounds like things are working out well for you.. So, how long do these people stay here?"

She nodded in response to his first comment, "Hai... things are going pretty good. And how long they stay depends on how quickly they learn. If we sent them home too early, they could be putting themselves, as well as the rest of their village, in danger. Unless they decide they no longer wish to become an exterminator, we don't allow them to leave unless they can pass a test, of sorts."

"What kind of test?" He asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. He hated to admit it, but he was becoming more and more interested in just how she had revived the village. He had actually run into a couple taijiya himself over the past year. And, though they were no where near as good as Sango was, he wanted to know just what kind of training they went through to earn the title of a demon exterminator.

She smiled, glancing back to him once again, "Curious as ever, ne, Inuyasha?"

He huffed, "You're the one who started telling me all this." He muttered, sounding almost like he was pouting.

Still smiling, the taijiya looked ahead once again, "Well, before we let them leave, they have to perform an extermination on their own. Me or Kohaku go with them to make sure they don't get injured, of course. But we don't step in unless is absolutely necessary. If they can do that on their own, then they pass. If not, they usually need a couple weeks more training." She paused for a few seconds before adding in a teasing tone of voice, "There, are you happy now?"

His response was to snort and mutter something about 'idiot women', before asking, "Well, do you think you could let go of me now? I'm not going anywhere."

"Hmm?" She asked, stopping and looking back to him. Then she remembered she still had hold of the arm of his haori, "Oh, right. Sorry.. guess I forgot, Inuyasha." She said, giving an embarrassed smile as she let her arm drop back to her side.

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow at that, "You... forgot? How in the hell can you forget something like that, Sango?"

"I don't know, I just did." She replied, shrugging. "Ano... can you stay here for a minute? I'll be right back, I just need to put hiraikotsu up and find out where Kohaku went to."

"Keh, I guess." He replied, crossing his arms, "It'll be better than having you drag me all around the place."

Sango shook her head slightly. He was the same as he was the last time she saw him. "Kirara stay here, okay?"

The fire-cat mewed and jumped off Sango's shoulder, landing on the ground by Inuyasha's feet.

"I don't need to be watched." Inuyasha mumbled, leaning back against the logs that formed the outer wall of the village.

"I know, but if Kirara's with you, you won't get mistaken for an intruding demon." She said, "There are still some people that didn't see you come in with me. You can't be too careful, Inuyasha. I promise it'll only be for this once, okay?" And without giving him a chance to reply, she was jogging away from him to put her things up, "I'll be back in a few minutes!" She called back, before disappearing from view.

He snorted once again, sliding down into a sitting position, "As long as it's only this one time..."

Kirara looked at the hanyou for a moment, then jumped into his lap and looked up into his face, "Mew." She nuzzled against his chest and mewed again, still looking up at him.

Inuyasha glanced around, making sure no one was watching, then reached down and scratched the kittens ears, "I missed you too, Kirara." He said quietly, not wanting anyone to over-hear him.

The fire-cat mewed happily and began purring before curling up in his lap

"This had better be a one time thing too.." He muttered, rolling his eyes.

Kirara didn't seem to mind his words though. She remained where she was, purring away.

He sighed quietly and again scratched her ears. He had nearly forgotten what it was like to have his friends around. Yes, even though she was a demon, Kirara was still a friend to him. And the little neko knew that. He gave a half-smile, looking down to the fire-cat. _'The only question now is... how long do I stay here?'_

"Kirara really seems to like you."

"I guess s... o..?" Inuyasha blinked and looked up to see none other than Kohaku grinning down at him. "Ack! W-what the hell?! What are you doing here?!"

"I live here." Kohaku stated simply, sitting down near the hanyou, "Ane-ue is really glad that you came back with us, you know... Your name's Inuyasha, right?"

Inuyasha settled down, though he was still embarrassed about being surprised by the young taijiya... He nodded in response to his question, "That's right, Inuyasha.. But this isn't the first time we've met, Kohaku. Don't you remember?"

Kohaku's smile faded slightly, as he slowly shook his head, "No.. I don't. I can remember what happened the night my father and the other exterminator's died, and I can remember Naraku's death... but between then, it's not that clear.."

"Oh." The hanyou turned his attention to Kirara once again, his eyes narrowing in thought, "Well, your sister and I used to travel together with Miroku, and a couple others. That's how we know each other."

The young taijiya nodded slightly, "Ane-ue's told me a lot about your travels... She's also told me a little about you to."

"Is that so?" Inuyasha asked, raising an eyebrow, "And just what has she told you about me?"

Kohaku was quiet for a moment, "Ano... Well, she said that you were the one who had the Shikon no Tama.. and you wanted to become a full-demon." The boy looked at Inuyasha for a moment, before looking away again, "Other than that... nothing much."

Inuyasha blinked. It had seemed like there was something more Kohaku wanted to say. But, in the end, Inuyasha shrugged it off. If Kohaku wanted to keep something to himself, then he wouldn't push him.

"There you are!"

Both Inuyasha and Kohaku looked up to see Sango coming towards them.

"Kohaku, you scared me, I was looking all over for you." She said, stopping in front of them.

Kohaku smiled and laughed slightly, as he stood up again, "I'm sorry, ane-ue, I was just talking to Inuyasha."

"Just don't scare me like that." Sango said, breathing a silent sigh of relief. Though, as she turned to Inuyasha, she couldn't help but smile as she saw Kirara, "Well, Kirara's sure glad that you're here, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha 'keh-ed', as he stood up as well, picking up Kirara in the process so she wouldn't tumble to the ground, "So, are we just going to stand here all day, or are you doing to show me around?"

Sango nodded shortly, and motioned for the hanyou to follow her as she turned away. Though, before she went to far, she looked back over her shoulder to her younger brother, "Kohaku? Do you want to come with us?"

Kohaku shook his head, "I think I'll stay here with Kirara." He said, taking the fire-cat from Inuyasha's arms.

Kirara blinked curiously, but soon found herself comfortable in Kohaku's arms. And, soon enough, the kitten was asleep.

The young taijiya smiled at the neko, then looked up to Sango and Inuyasha again, "Maybe next time, okay? You two catch up on things."

Sango glanced to Inuyasha for a moment, then shrugged lightly, "Alright then. Keep an eye on things." And with that, both her and Inuyasha set out for a short 'tour' of the village and surrounding area.

* * *

AN: Have I mentioned that I _-adore- _Kohaku? Who'd have guessed since he usually ends up dying in my stories (referring to _'Gone'_ and the dream in _'Kagami to Ai'_)? Anyways... not much else to say, so, until next time!


	5. Remember When

YojimbosBlade: Well, I'm glad that you like the story so far n.n

Z.A.G: Now, what gives you that idea? ::whistles innocently:: Hehe, seriously though, only two people picked up on that... not that that's what really happening or anything.. :)

neutral: Thank you so much! I'm so glad that everyone seems in character n.n

Kichi-chan: Ack, please no rocks! n.n;; Haha, thanks for the comment though, and I hope this update came soon enough for you.

moggy201484271612345: Yes, Inuyasha's just a big softy underneath it all! Eh... there really was a lot of glancing, wasn't there? Didn't realize that until I went and reread the chapter. Ah, well, that's not a bad thing really... I hope. ;)

Exzen: Aw, thank you n.n I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

rezo teh red priest: Of course I'll continue this story n.n No worries there!

OMG: Its good to hear that you're enjoying this story n.n And, yes, I did write _'Kagami to Ai'_. And I'm glad you liked that story too!

purplepeopleeater: Aw, why would you think that? ::grins:: Not many people caught that one. Not that Kohaku's really up to anything though.. n.n

To everyone else: Thank you so much for the comments n.n I only hope that this story will be as enjoyable as _'Kagami to Ai' _was.

AN: Alright, I think that about wraps things up. So, here we go! Oh, wait, wait a minute. I'm not sure if this matter's or not, but I know some people like to be warned about spoilers and such, so here: **there is a spoiler for episode 135 in this chapter.** Though, I'm sure any InuSan fan has at least _heard_ of that incident :)

* * *

It didn't take long for Sango to show Inuyasha around the village. After all, it wasn't all that different than any other village. And the pair were soon walking the grounds outside the gates. Of course, there wasn't that much to see outside; just the surrounding forest and the mountainside that the village was situated on. But that didn't seem to bother either one of them. Inuyasha hadn't complained about it, and Sango was just glad to be able to spend time with him again.

"So, Sango, your brother seems to be living a normal life now." Inuyasha said, trying to strike up a conversation.

Sango nodded, "As normal as a demon exterminator's life can be. After he got most of his memory back, things were a little hard for the first couple of months... He still has nightmares about what he did at times too.." She looked over to Inuyasha and smiled slightly, "But, you know most of what's been going on with me. What about you? What have you done since we went our separate ways?"

The hanyou shrugged lightly, looking ahead, "There's nothing to tell, really... A few lowly demons wanted to get their hands on the Shikon no Tama, nothing that would be a threat though... Seems like ever since Naraku was killed, the only demons who want the jewel are ones that wouldn't even survive one fight."

She nodded slowly, "Well, ever since we defeated him, the demons that feared getting absorbed by him have come out of hiding... It's the same as what happened when he hid at Mount Hakurei."

"Only this time we know he's know coming back." He said, looking at her and grinning.

"I suppose you're right." She replied, laughing.

And that only seemed to make him grin more. "So, I've seen the village, the forest, and the mountain side your village is built on, is there anything else I should know about?" He asked, looking ahead once again.

The taijiya tapped a finger on her chin and fell silent for a moment, "No, I don't think-- oh, wait, there's a hot-spring nearby, but I'm sure you could find that on your own. Its right down that path." She added, pointing down a path that lead into the woods.

He looked to where she pointed and gave a short nod, "Alright then. Are you going to show me where, exactly, or are you going to just let me get lost?" He asked, grinning at her once again in a teasing matter.

"Inuyasha, do I really have to show you every little thing?" She asked, though the smile on her face let him know she was only joking. "Well, if you must know, then come on." With that, she turned and headed down the path she had indicated to him only a moment earlier. "Not many people like to go there though. With it being in the middle of the woods, there's a pretty good chance that a demon may pass by." She said, glancing back to him, "We prefer the trainee's stay relatively close to the village for the first couple of weeks anyway. So, its almost always free of people."

The hanyou nodded as she explained everything, "That's pretty smart... But I thought that demons were smart enough to stay away from the demon exterminators village. You'd think they would stay away from anyplace that exterminators might be."

"Demons have always held a grudge against the demon exterminators, though. You can't be to careful. You never know when they might plan an attack." She replied, slowing down slightly so she walked beside Inuyasha instead of in front of him, "Fortunately for us, the only attacks we've had so far have been by a group of only six or seven demons. If a large number of demons were to attack... I'm not sure how we'd stand against them."

Inuyasha frowned slightly, hearing the worried tone in her voice, "Any smart demon would know not to attack a village full of demon exterminators, Sango. I'm sure you'd do fine."

"Thank you.." She said quietly, in response to his saying they would do fine, "But, we're not a village full of exterminators. Most of the people are trainee's. After they learn the techniques, they usually return to their own village. There's only a few people that have decided to stay and help."

"Well, you won't have to worry about any demons attacking while I'm here." He said, glancing over to her, "There's no way any low-ass demons will get past me."

The taijiya nodded and smiled slightly, "I guess that would be true.. thank you again, Inuyasha." Then, nudging him, she added, "Unless of course, you've gotten out of shape. If all you've been fighting lately have been weak demons, how do I know you can still take on a strong one?"

He snorted and folded his arms across his chest, "Keh! I can take on anything, anywhere." He muttered. Then, looking at her, he donned a cocky smirk before adding, "I bet I could still beat you if I wanted to, Sango."

"Still?" She asked, stopping to look at him, "What do you mean still? You never once beat me!"

"Maybe not." He replied, stopping as well, "But, you know I would've if you hadn't already been half dead when we first met."

Sango crossed her arms, "Me being 'half dead', as you put it, didn't seem to stop you from knocking off my mask."

He nodded slightly, "I know, but I had to get you to stop attacking me somehow. I also saved you, if you can remember that." Then, mumbling, he added, "And you thank me by stabbing me in the arm."

"Well, as far as I knew, you were the one that had led the attack on my village." She replied, "What did you expect me to do?"

The hanyou mumbled something incoherent under his breath, "I don't know... Keh, so where's this hot-sping you were telling me about?"

She shook her head slightly at the change of subject, but decided to just let it drop. She wasn't going to start fighting with him. If she did that, he might leave, and that was something she didn't want. "It's not much further." She said, beginning to walk once again.

Inuyasha walked beside her quietly, his arms stuffed in the sleeves of his haori. She _did_ have a point... When she had attacked, she had thought he had been the one to attack her village. He snorted. That didn't matter though, that was the past. This was now.

It didn't take much longer for them to reach the hot-spring. Sango motioned towards the water, "Well, there you go. I told you it wasn't too far from the village."

"You really were serious about people not coming here." He said, half to himself. He could tell that no one had been there recently, because the only scents he could smell was that of the usual forest, and Sango's. The hanyou shrugged slightly. Well, that wasn't his problem. If people were afraid of demons, then they could do what they wanted. It wasn't like he cared.

When Sango noticed Inuyasha moving back to sit on a fallen log, she glanced back towards the village, before going to sit beside him. The village would be fine, she knew. There were no new people coming for a few days yet, and if someone did show up, she knew Kohaku would be able to handle it. Besides, what would a few minutes of rest hurt?

The hanyou looked out at the water for a moment; watching, in particular, as the steam rose off of the hot water. Soon, he found himself grinning. But it wasn't long before the grin turned into a chuckle, and then, a full-out laugh; something he hadn't done for quite a while.

She gave him a curious look, wondering just what he was laughing about. She turned and looked towards the water, but she didn't see anything that would be so funny; just water and rocks, normal things you'd see at a hot-spring. And she hadn't said anything, she so knew he wasn't laughing at her. As she turned back to Inuyasha, she raised an eyebrow, "Inuyasha, what are you laughing at?"

It took a moment for him to calm down enough so he could understand him, but he finally replied, "Nothing, nothing. I was just thinking." He motioned out towards the water, "The steam rising off of the water, it reminds me of that one time we went to Muushin's temple."

"Muushin's temple?" She asked, glancing to the water again, before turning her attention back to Inuyasha, "How does the steam remind you of that?"

He turned to look at her, grinning still, "When we went to Mount Kasumi to get that special sake for Muushin, remember that mist we ran into?"

The taijiya nodded slowly, "Hai... the one that made Kagome-chan, Shippou, and Hachiemon start to sing and dance?"

"That's the one." He replied, that grin still on his face, "But, if you'll remember, they weren't the only ones who were affected by it. Sango, did you forget that it made you--"

"Ah, y-you don't have to say it!" She said, holding up her hands so he'd stop, "I know what happened, and it... it wasn't my fault!"

He laughed again, "I never said it was. But, you were the only one that tried to kiss me."

Sango instantly covered her face with her hands in a vain attempt to hide her blush, "I told you, you didn't have to say that! I don't know what made me do that.. but... But you weren't helping!" She lowered her hands slightly so she could look at him again, but the blush remained on her face, "I don't remember you trying to push me away!"

The hanyou made a startled sound and glanced away, "Well that's because... H-how could I push you away with the way you latched onto me?" He glanced back to her before adding, "Keh, I'm surprised I didn't end up pulling you down with me when Kagome sat me."

"I... never thought about that before. I think Kagome-chan just wanted to get you away from me. That would've... hurt..." She said, looking to the water again. She couldn't help but wonder why Inuyasha had brought that up. There were many other incidents involving hot-springs, or just water in general, but he had to bring up _that_ one. And then, another question entered her mind... "Hey, Inuyasha?"

He hesitated a moment, but finally looked to her once again. Before he could ask what she wanted though, his ears flicked at a faint sound. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked in the direction of the village, "What's that?"

Sango blinked, clearly not hearing whatever it was that Inuyasha heard, "What's what?"

He frowned and listened harder for a moment, trying to figure out what, exactly, he was hearing, "Sounds like... yelling?"

"Yelling? She asked. Then, looking in the direction of the taijiya village, her eyes widened slightly as she stood up, "You don't mean the village is being attacked, do you?"

"I don't know if its an attack, but maybe we should go back." He replied, glancing to the slayer.

She nodded, and began running back towards the village. Now, she almost wished Kohaku had left Kirara in Inuyasha's arms. If Kirara were there, she'd be able to make it to the village quicker...

Inuyasha had started running the same time Sango had. Being half-demon, he was already running ahead of her. He glanced back to Sango, before slowing down to run beside her, "Here, get on." He said, motioning to his back.

"What?" She asked, surprised, as she looked at him, "Inuyasha--"

"I can get there quicker than you ever could." He said, interrupting her before she could protest further. He stopped running, and grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop as well, "Now hurry up before I just throw you over my shoulder and carry you that way!"

She would've argued further, but her village could be in danger, so she climbed onto his back, like she had seen Kagome do many times while they had traveled together. Though, once she was on, she mumbled a quick, "Stubborn idiot."

Once sure that she wouldn't fall, Inuyasha began running once again. "Don't think I'm doing this because I _want_ to." He muttered in reply to her comment. Though, in reality, it didn't bother him at all.

* * *

AN: Dun, dun, DUN!! Okay, so what's happening back at the village? Why does trouble seem to follow Inuyasha around? What do you think Sango wanted to ask him?

Okay, okay, enough questions. Sorry, got a little carried away there n.n;;


	6. Revival of the Fang

Kichi-chan: Don't worry, the romance will come along soon enough. They just met up again, it'll take a little time, but no worries n.n It'll be coming up.

demonslayer: I can't say when this story will end. I never really plan how long my stories will be, so there's no telling :)

purplepeopleeater: Yup, it was that incident. n.n;

Z.A.G: Something along those lines ;) I've always wondered about that too, though I like it better with Sango, since I'm not much of a Kagome fan.

To everyone else: Thanks once again for the reviews, I appreciate them all :)

AN: Nothing else to add, so, onto the chapter!

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Inuyasha continued running back towards the taijiya village. It felt... strange having someone on his back again, since it had been quite a while since he had carried someone like that. But, at the same time, it was a feeling that he had almost missed. Almost being the keyword there.

Sango kept her head down as Inuyasha ran, and was sure to keep hold of his shoulders. She wasn't used to having anyone carrying her like that. After all, she usually rode Kirara when traveling, or in battle when it was necessary. The only times she had been carried by Inuyasha, had been not long after they first met.

As he ran, the yelling only seemed to get louder. And, once the village came into view, he stopped for a moment, his amber eyes narrowing slightly. He could clearly hear things that were being said now, and he growled, "It's not the village they're after." He began running once again, but he continued to growl quietly, "They want me."

"You?" Sango asked, lifting her head slightly so she could see over his shoulder, towards the village, "What do you mean, Inuyasha?" Though, almost as soon as she had asked, she realized just what he meant, "They're after the Shikon no Tama?!"

"That's it." He replied, "If I'd had known some idiot demons would've followed me here, I wouldn't have even come."

"Don't worry about it." She said, glancing at his face, before looking to the village once again, "We can take care of them."

He huffed slightly. Wasn't _she_ the one who had been worried about a large-scale attack? Well, one thing was sure, he wasn't about to let those demons get his Shikon no Tama. And he wasn't going to let them destroy her village either! "Hold on!" He said, before making a running leap to one of the sentry towers. Once there, he stopped and looked over the village. There weren't that many demons, really. But there were enough so that this would be a tough fight, "Sango, where'd you put your weapons?"

The taijiya looked around briefly, before replying to his question. So far, the villagers seemed to be doing pretty well against the demons. But that could change at any minute, she knew. Especially since the demons were set on getting the Jewel, "I put them in there." She said finally, motioning to one of the huts.

He nodded shortly, "Okay." And then, he jumped to the ground inside the village. It took a little maneuvering, since he had to dodge the fighting demons and exterminators, but he reached the hut rather quickly. There, he set Sango down, before turning towards all the fighting, "Hurry up and grab your weapons, I'll try to get them away from the villagers." And then, he was off, running into the midst of all the fighting.

She nodded once before he left, and ran into the hut. She quickly grabbed her katana, and put it in its place underneath the sash around her waist. Next, came her exterminators' mask. One could never be too careful when fighting demons, so her mask was a necessity for fighting. And finally, hiraikotsu; her main weapon of choice. As she lifted the boomerang-type weapon, she glanced around the hut briefly, taking particular notice that Kohaku's weapons were gone already. _'Kohaku...'_ She knew he was capable of protecting himself; he had become quite skilled with his weapon over time. Yet, she couldn't help but worry about him occasionally. After all, he was her only family left. Shaking her head slightly, she ran outside to join in the fighting.

"Sankon Tessou!" Inuyasha yelled, bringing his claws down on one of the demons. But, it seemed when one fell, another replaced it. Of course, that was most likely due to the fact that, since he was the one carrying the Shikon no Tama, the majority of the attacking demons were after him. The village just happened to be in the way of them reaching their target. Turning around, the hanyou's claws sliced through another of the demons. Well, at least they were easy to kill...

To the left of Inuyasha, a little ways away, Kohaku realized that Inuyasha had joined in the fighting. He looked around for a moment, but failed to see Sango anywhere. His eyes narrowing slightly, he threw his weapon out ahead of him, successfully cutting through a demon. With a short tug on the chain end, which he still held, the kusarikama returned to his hand. "Inuyasha!" The young taijiya called, running over to the hanyou, "Where's ane-ue?"

Inuyasha glanced to Kohaku for a moment, "Sango? She had to get her weapons, she should be here in a minute." His ears flicked slightly, and he looked past Kohaku, as a grin spread across his face, "In fact..."

"Hiraikotsu!"

"...She's right there." The hanyou finished, after hearing Sango launch her attack. And, a few seconds later, the weapon whirled its way above his head as it returned to its handler's waiting hand. "Took you long enough to get out here, Sango." He said, still grinning.

"Oh good, you two are okay." Sango said, jogging over to her brother and Inuyasha, "Well, not everyone is lucky enough to be half-demon. It takes us humans a little longer to get things done, Inuyasha." She added, in reply to Inuyasha's comment.

"Keh!" Inuyasha spat, his nose wrinkling slightly, "I wouldn't call being half-demon lucky. More like a curse.."

"According to some people." She replied, with a light smile. Though, the smile faded as she turned back towards the demons, "We need to protect the villagers. We have to get the demons outside of the village." She paused for a moment, before looking down to Kohaku, "Kohaku, do you think you could get everyone to the back of the village?"

Kohaku blinked, and looked slightly surprised, "Me? But, what about you and Inuyasha?"

"We'll try to get the demons outside." Sango said, turning her attention back to the approaching demons, "Our top priority is to protect the others though. So, I need you to make sure they're as far away from danger as they can be. Take Kirara with you, and once everyone is back there, you two stay and protect them incase any of the demons try to get them." She glanced to her younger brother once more, and smiled slightly, "I know you can do it."

The boy hesitated, but slowly nodded, as he tucked his sickle-like weapon back under the sash around his waist. "Okay... Let's go, Kirara!" He called over to the fire-cat.

Kirara, who was in her larger form, doing her best to help in the fighting, looked up as Kohaku called to her. With one, final swipe at the demon she had been fighting, she then jumped back and ran over to the younger taijiya.

"Be careful." Kohaku said, to Inuyasha and his sister. Then, he patted Kirara's head and nodded towards the village huts, "Let's go get everyone, Kirara." And with that, he and Kirara ran back to try and gather the villagers.

"Are you sure its a good idea to let them go off alone?" Inuyasha asked, once Kirara and Kohaku had gone.

Sango nodded, "It's been a while since you've seen Kohaku. He's become a fine exterminator." She brought hiraikotsu in front of her, as she prepared to make a move, "Besides, Kirara won't let anything happen to Kohaku. If things get bad, she'll let us know. Now, we should really get these demons outside." She said, lifting her weapon and running forward.

"Or we can just kill them and save some trouble." Inuyasha added, smirking as he ran ahead as well, slashing his claws at any of the demons that got in his way.

"Shikon no Tama!" A demon hissed, reaching out to Inuyasha, wanting the sacred Jewel that he carried.

The hanyou growled, grabbing its arm, and pulling it forward, as he slashed it with the claws of his free hand.

But, as he was taking care of the demon in front of him, another came from behind and slashed at his arm, with its own set of claws.

Inuyasha winched, releasing his hold in the demon and turning to face the one that had attacked, as he clutched his arm. With a growl, the hanyou jumped back slightly, putting a couple feet between himself and the demon, "Why you..." He growled, glancing to his arm for a second. Then, turning back to the demon, his eyes narrowed slightly, "Hijin Kessou!" He yelled, letting go of his arm, and swinging his hand, which had blood on it from his wound, at the demon. The red crescent-like objects flew towards the demon, successfully hitting and cutting through it. He glanced back to Sango for a moment, just to make sure she was doing all right. And seeing that she wasn't having any trouble, he turned forward once again, flinging more of the crescent-like shapes towards another demon.

'Why doesn't he use Tessaiga?' Sango wondered, glancing back to where Inuyasha was fighting. She looked ahead again in time to see two demons running towards her. The taijiya took a step back and lifted hiraikotsu over her head. With a short yell, she stepped forward again, and let the weapon fly from her hand. It sliced through one of the demons, and just knocked the other one off its feet. As hiraikotsu returned to her hand, she caught it with relative ease, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

Of course! Inuyasha had been alone, as far as she knew, for the past year. Tessaiga could only be used to protect humans. So of course he couldn't use it. He must've gotten used to fighting with only his claws again. At least, that's what she assumed.

The demon that had been knocked down from hiraikotsu stood up and advanced towards her once again. The taijiya blocked its hit with her weapon and glanced back to Inuyasha again, "Inuyasha!" Pushing the boomerang forward to get the demon off balance, she then kicked its legs out from underneath it, once again making it fall to the ground. But this time, she was going to make sure it didn't get up again. She lifted hiraikotsu, and brought it down again, cutting through the grounded demon. Once sure it was dead, she ran back so she was near Inuyasha again, "Your sword!"

"What?" Inuyasha asked, catching a demon by the arm, before kneeing it in the gut. Once the demon doubled over, the hanyou grabbed its head and twisted; resulting in a loud crack as the demon fell to the ground, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Sango looked around quickly before answering. The demons that were still left; those that hadn't been killed or run off, had begun to surround them; though it was clear that Inuyasha was their main target. "Tessaiga, Inuyasha! Draw Tessaiga!"

"Tessaiga." The hanyou whispered, his eyes narrowing slightly. He hadn't been able to use his father's fang for quite a while now, and he had gotten used to that fact. He looked around briefly, as his hand gripped Tessaiga's hilt. Well, there was only one way to find out if he could still use the sword. So, with that thought in mind, the hanyou unsheathed his sword.

Tessaiga immediately sparked to life, transforming from its dull-like state, into a deadly, usable weapon.

Inuyasha smirked with confidence as he felt the familiar weight of the sword in his hand; it was a feeling he had begun to miss, "Are you ready to finish this, Sango?" He asked, glancing back to the slayer momentarily.

Sango nodded shortly, glancing back to him as well, "Of course I'm ready."

He nodded as well, that cocky smirk still on his face, as he turned back to the demons, "Alright then." With that, both warriors ran forward again to fight.

"Be careful!" Sango added quickly, swinging hiraikotsu in front of her to knock a couple demons down, "If you use your attacks here, you could injure some of the villagers."

Inuyasha snorted, slashing and stabbing his way through the demons as he made his way for the gates; his sword made a remarkable difference when it came to clearing a path, "I know that already!" He replied. He knew he had to get outside. The demons would follow him, of course, since he was the one carrying the Shikon no Tama; and that was what they were really after.

Of course, that was easier said than done. It was becoming more difficult to get to the gates, because some of the demons were fighting to get away, while the rest were trying to get to him. Many of them, who weren't already dead, had already fled, so there weren't as many as there had been. But, it would still be better if they would finish the fight outside.

The hanyou looked around for a moment, before taking a few steps back. If he couldn't make it out normally, he could get out the same way he got in. So, with that thought in mind, he took a running leap over the gates.

Sango glanced back towards Inuyasha, seeing him jump outside. Looking ahead again, she kicked a demon that had made a run at her, before running back to where Kohaku and Kirara were with the villagers, "Everyone, get down!" She shouted, wanting to lower the risk of injury as best she could. Even though Inuyasha was outside the village, she had seen his attacks enough times to know that there was always a chance that bystanders could get hurt unintentionally.

Outside, Inuyasha's ear flicked when he heard Sango. He grinned slightly as he turned, so he was facing away from the village. After all, he didn't want to attack towards it; that would almost the same as attacking it directly.

His eyes shifted one way, then the other, as he watched the remainder of the demons gather in front of him. Well, he couldn't have asked for a better situation. So, not wanting to waste the opportunity, he lifted his sword above his head, "Kaze no Kizu!" He called, bringing his arms back down in a sweeping motion.

Almost immediatly, the attack came, cutting forward and through the demons that that had remained there, as the area lit up in a bright, yellow-ish glow. And, one the glow died down, all that remained of the demons, were scattered remains. Inuyasha took a couple deep breaths, and then looked up, grinning like an idiot, "Ha! Take that!!" He yelled triumphantly. The hanyou laughed as he sheathed his sword once again, then walked to the gates of the village so he could see inside, "Oi! You can come out now."

Sango looked up the moment things became quiet once again, though she was sure to stay in place until she heard Inuyasha tell them everything was okay. Once she heard him, the taijiya stood up and jogged her way through the village to meet him again, "Inuyasha, are you okay?" She asked, just wanting to make sure he hadn't been injured.

"Of course I'm okay." He replied, that grin still on his face, "You didn't really think I'd let those pathetic demons do anything, did you?"

"Well, I just wanted to make sure." She said, smiling slightly, "And... I just want to say thank you. You really helped us today."

"I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to your village." He said, as the grin turned into a smirk, "Now that I can use Tessaiga again, there's no way anything can get past me." He added, giving a short nod as he crossed his arms.

The taijiya sighed slightly and shook her head, "Now's not the time to get cocky, Inuyasha."

"Cocky?" The hanyou asked, raising an eyebrow, "Keh, I'm not cocky, I'm just confident."

"There's a thin line between cockiness and confidence." She replied, turning and beginning to walk back into the village.

Inuyasha blinked, then huffed and followed after her, "That's what you say." He muttered, rolling his eyes.

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AN: This chapter was difficult to write, seeing that it was mostly fighting, and I can't write fight scenes. So, I hope this was okay n.n;;


	7. Nightfall

AN: I just want to say a **huge** thank you to everyone for feedback about the fight scene. I'm glad you guys liked it n.n I'm still a little nervous when it comes to writing them, but I'm glad you enjoyed the last one.

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Inuyasha crossed his arms and glanced around briefly, hearing several murmurs beginning to rise up from some of the villagers. Most didn't bother him, really. It seemed that they were just surprised about having someone with the Shikon no Tama in the village with them. And really, that was reasonable. Since the Jewel _had_ originated in the village anyway, it was a little uncanny... One voice, however, got the hanyou's attention.

"Filthy half-breeds always bring trouble."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, as he looked in the direction the voice had come from. Immediately, he saw a young man, who appeared to be only a few years older than Sango.

As he realized he was being looked at, the man raised an eyebrow and smiled, though his eyes remained hardened; a clear sign that he didn't want the hanyou there.

Inuyasha growled quietly and quickened his pace so he walked beside Sango, "Sango, who's he?"

Sango looked over to Inuyasha, before looking to where he motioned. "Ah, that's Yukio. Remember when I said there are some people that decide to stay at the village and help out? He's one of them." She said, smiling towards the dark-haired young man, "He's helped out a lot... Why do you ask?" She asked, looking to Inuyasha once again.

"No reason." He mumbled, looking ahead once again... "So, you were serious when you said you used demon parts for your weapons and armor, weren't you?" He asked, wanting to change the subject. He already didn't like that 'Yukio' guy...

The taijiya nodded, making her way to the hut where her, as well as Kohaku's and a few various other weapons were kept when not in use, "That's the way we've always worked. I thought Myouga-ji explained that to you."

"Keh." The hanyou spat, "You can't count on Myouga-jiji all the time. It's hard to tell if he really knows what he's talking about, or if he's just saying things."

She laughed slightly, nudging him in the arm, "Myouga-ji may run at the first sign of danger, but he does know a lot of useful knowledge."

"I still wouldn't count on him." He replied, leaning against the outside of the hut while he waited for Sango to put up her weapons. "I'd rather have someone else to count on, other than him."

"Someone?" She asked curiously, walking outside once again, "Someone like who, Inuyasha?"

He raised an eyebrow, looking at her, "Huh? Oh, I don't know... I mean, you have Kirara, and I get stuck with someone like Myouga-jiji."

"Myouja-ji's not that bad." She said, smiling, "He may not be there when there's danger around, but he has saved us before."

He let out a 'hmph', and closed his eyes for a moment, before grinning and looking to Sango once again, "If you don't think Myouga-jiji's so bad, why don't you take him and give me Kirara?"

"Sorry, but I don't like him _that_ much... nothing and no one could ever take Kirara's place." She replied, looking towards the sky, "It'll be dark soon.. We need to get this place cleaned up before night falls." She took a few steps forward, then stopped and looked back to him, "Will you help us?"

The hanyou looked up to the sky for a moment himself, his eyes narrowing slightly as he seemed to think something over. But, after a few seconds, he turned his attention back to the taijiya and nodded, "Sure, it's not like I have anything better else to do." Then, with a grin, he added, "You can count on me, Sango."

She smiled and nodded, "Thank you. And, you know you can always count on me too, Inuyasha."

He nodded as well, as he pushed himself off of the hut. And without another word, the two walked out to help the villagers that were already busy cleaning up the village from the previous battle.

-Later on, after night fall-

It had taken longer than anyone had expected, but the demons had all been properly disposed of, and the village was looking like it was before the attack had happened; except for a few damaged huts, but they would start repairing those the next day.

Sango stretched her arms above her head and let out a yawn, before surveying the village from where she stood. Most of the people were already beginning to settle in for the night, she noticed. But that was quite understandable. Her brother and Kirara, however, weren't among those people. She could see them sitting near the front gates, looking up at the night sky. She could tell Kohaku was talking to the neko, but what he was saying, was something she didn't know.

Looking away from them, she tried to locate another familiar figure; that of Inuyasha, but she failed at that. She had lost track of the hanyou a little before sundown. At first, she had assumed he was just helping out somewhere, but now, she was beginning to feel that he had left at some point.

But... that didn't make sense. He wouldn't just leave; not after giving her that 'you can count on me' line. Or... would he? No, no! She shook her head, _'No, I know Inuyasha better than that. He wouldn't just leave without giving me a reason...'_

She was failing miserably to reassure herself, she realized. After all, Inuyasha _could've_ gone... it wasn't like he had to stay there if he didn't want to. With a sigh, she walked over to join her brother and Kirara near the gates.

When she approached, Kohaku looked up and smiled, "Ane-ue, we were wondering if you were going to come over here." He said, meaning him and Kirara.

Sango smiled slightly and sat down, "Sorry, I was trying to find someone... You haven't seen Inuyasha around, have you?" She asked, resting her chin on the palm of her hand as she stared ahead.

He shook his head slightly, looking up at the sky once again, "No... I thought he was with you."

"He was, but now he's gone." She replied, sighing slightly_. 'So, maybe Inuyasha _did_ leave... but why?' _She asked herself.

The boy remained quiet for a moment, and then, "You can see the stars really clearly tonight."

"Stars..." She mumbled, only half paying attention to what he was saying. She still couldn't shake the feeling that she was forgetting something... _'If he wanted to leave, why didn't he talk to me about it?'_

"They're so bright." Kohaku continued, oblivious to the fact that Sango seemed preoccupied with her thoughts. "I think now's the best time to see them, since there's no moonlight to over-shine them."

"Bright..." She said, her eyes narrowing slightly in concentration. There _was_ something she was missing, she knew it! But what-- wait! "Kohaku, what did you just say?" She asked, turning to look at her brother.

The boy blinked and thought back over his previous statement before replying, "The stars are bright since there's no moonlight to shine over them?"

"That's it!" Sango said, jumping up, "No moonlight, new moon! Thank you Kohaku!" She added, giving her brother a quick hug, "I'll be back later, I'm going to look for Inuyasha!" And then, she was gone, running though the village; leaving a very confused Kohaku and Kirara behind her.

Kirara looked after her mistress, then looked up to Kohaku, blinking once as she mewed questionably.

Kohaku could only shake his head, just as confused as the neko was, "I have no idea where she's going..."

Meanwhile, Sango stopped running and looked around for a moment, _'New moon... Inuyasha becomes human tonight, _that's_ why he's gone. He didn't leave, he's just staying away from everyone like he always does.' _She told herself, looking around as she tried to find any sign of the hanyou.

Then, she saw it; a flash of red in one of the sentry towers. Soon enough, she found herself at the back of the village, climbing up the ladder of the tower, "Inuyasha?" She asked hopefully, pulling herself up so she was now sitting on the floor of the tower.

Sure enough, Inuyasha was there, black hair and all. At his name, the human-hanyou cracked open an eye and looked at the taijiya, "What is it, Sango?"

She breathed a silent sigh of relief, finding him again, "Nothing. I was just-- I didn't mean to wake you up."

He snorted and folded his arms across his chest, as he opened both eyes and leaned against the wall, "Keh... I _wasn't_ sleeping. I can't risk sleeping on the night of the new moon... Damn hanyou blood.."

"Ano... well, if you hate it so much, why haven't you used the Shikon no Tama to become a full demon?" She asked, slowly at first, unsure of how he would react, "If you did that, you wouldn't have to worry about your hanyou, or rather _human_, blood."

He looked over at her for a moment, silently regarding her. His eyebrows scrunched together, as he made a slight 'mmm' noise, as though trying to decide whether or not to say something. Finally, he turned his head to the side and shut his eyes again, "Keh, like hell I'm going to tell you why I haven't used the Jewel."

The taijiya sighed, but nodded as she stood up to look out over the village. Really, she knew she should have expected a response like that one. Inuyasha rarely gave motive behind his actions, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise. Still... the fact that he, seemingly, had to actually _think_ about whether or not he should answer her was somewhat comforting, in a sense. Maybe he'd tell her one day... _'One day?'_ She asked herself, somewhat surprised, _'How long is he even going to stay?'_

"Say, Inuyasha? How long do you plan on staying here?" She asked, turning to look at him again.

He raised an eyebrow and silently looked at her for a moment, before a grin slowly spread across his face, "Getting sick of me already, Sango?"

She quickly shook her head, "No, no of course not! I was just asking because... well, to be honest, I thought you had left already today when I couldn't find you. And I..." She trailed off and began to nervously fidget with her hands, "I was just wondering... you- you'd tell me if you decided to leave, right? I mean, you wouldn't just leave without saying anything... would you?"

The grin he wore, slowly turned itself into a frown, as an oddly serious expression came to his face, "Of course I'd tell you if I decided to leave. I wouldn't just walk out and leave you without saying _something_ to you first."

Sango was surprised, to say the least, to see his expression change, and she felt like hugging him once she had heard his response. But, she refrained from doing so. "Thank you..." She said quietly, though she wasn't even sure _why_ she had thanked him.. "And I didn't mean to make it sound like I don't trust you, I was just... worried."

'Worried?' He repeated the word in his mind a couple times, his human-colored eyes narrowing in thought, _'She did say worried, right? Why would she be worried?' _He asked himself the same question a few times, before shrugging it off, "Actually, I thought I should ask _you_ when I was leaving. I'm not the one who lives here."

'Would you like to?' Was the first thing that came to the taijiya's mind, causing her blink and wonder _where_ that thought came from. However, instead of saying that, she chose to reply with, "That's up to you, Inuyasha. I'm not going to say you have to stay here until a certain time, and I'm not going to say you have to leave by a certain time. You're free to stay here as long as you like."

Inuyasha nodded, seemingly content with her reply. Though, after a few minutes of silence, he spoke up again, "That's fine... But, you know, I don't like to stay anyplace too long. You saw what happened today, Sango, I don't want to put you in any unnecessary danger."

"Inuyasha, that doesn't matter, we can defend ourselves just like we did today." She replied, sitting across from him again, "There will always be a chance that demons may attack the exterminators village, that's something everyone who trains or stays here knows. Sure, maybe the risk becomes slightly higher when the Shikon no Tama is here, but that doesn't matter. I was a little unsure at first, but now I know we'd do fine against an attack."

He frowned a bit, looking intently at the floor. But, it wasn't long before another grin tugged at the corners of his lips, "I keep forgetting I'm in a village full of demon exterminators-- or, _trainee's _as you call them." He said, looking to her once again, "I guess it'd be better to be around here, than around Kaede's village, wouldn't it?"

She nodded, smiling slightly, "It would." And then, her smile grew as she realized something, "I knew it! You _do_ live near Kaede-sama and Shippou!"

The human-hanyou blinked, then shook his head, "No-- no I don't! Why would I want to stay anywhere near that brat? And, keh, it's not like I want to stay near the old hag either."

"You said it would be better for you to be around here, rather than Kaede-sama's village." She said, smiling broadly, knowing she had him, "So that has to mean if you weren't here, you'd be there. Right?"

He began to say something in reply, but promptly shut up once again, and glanced off to the side. "I hate you..." He mumbled, looking, oddly enough, like he was pouting.

She merely shook her head, quite used to his behavior, "You wouldn't know what to do without me."

"I'd be better off probably." He sneered, the pouting look quickly being replaced by a challenging one. Somehow, he almost... _enjoyed_ arguing with her. It wasn't like the tiring bickering he used to do with Kagome. It was refreshing, in a sense, and... fun. Maybe that was because he knew it wouldn't end with an 'osuwari!' Or a tear-filled 'I'm going home!' But, whatever it was, he found it entertaining. _'Ah, shit... I must be going crazy to think that.' _He thought to himself, rolling his eyes, though his expression stayed the same as he waited for Sango's response.

She arched an eyebrow at his statement, and laughed, "Better off? If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even _have_ the Shikon no Tama anymore." She paused for a moment, as her laughter died down slightly, "Speaking of which... how _did_ that spider-demon get it?"

The corner of his mouth twitched, as he fought to keep the smirk on his face, but it was becoming more difficult, "Wouldn't you like to know." He replied, "And, for the record, I would've gotten it back, even if you hadn't shown up."

"Of course." Was her only reply, before the pair fell into silence. However, only a few minutes later, Sango spoke up once again, "Why don't we visit them tomorrow?"

He gave her a curious look, "Visit who?"

"Shippou and Kaede-sama." She said, as though that was the obvious answer, "I haven't seen them since the day we split up. I'd really like to see how they're doing. And I'm sure that Kirara wouldn't mind seeing Shippou again either."

"Keh! I don't know _why_ you want to see them again." He snorted and shook his head slightly, "It's not like they've changed much."

"Aw, come on Inuyasha." She replied, though she wasn't totally sure why she was trying to convince him. It wasn't like she needed him to go with her, "It could be fun."

The human-hanyou huffed and was quiet for a moment, "Fine, if it'll get you to leave me alone."

Sango smiled and nodded, "Great! We'll leave first thing in the morning then." With that, she began climbing back down the ladder so she could get some sleep. However, she stopped for a moment, and looked back up to Inuyasha, "Are you sure you want to stay up all night?"

He looked at her, as though she had asked a really dumb question, "Of course, you idiot!"

She shrugged as best she could, and continued her way down the ladder, "Okay then. Goodnight." She called up to him, before making her way to her hut and settling down for the night.

Once she was gone, Inuyasha laid back with his hands behind his head as he stared up at the roof of the sentry tower, "Why haven't I used the Jewel... keh..." Absentmindedly, he moved one of his hands to clutch the small pouch, containing the Shikon no Tama, which hung, very much like a necklace, around his neck. "It's not like I don't want to... It's just..." He trailed off, and closed his eyes for a moment, "Whatever..." He rolled onto his side, propping his head up with one hand, as he looked at his other hand. Well, he _did_ prefer his claws to the blunt, short nails of a human... "At least I wouldn't have to stay up all night every new moon." He muttered to himself, flopping onto his back once more. _'Now, if only sunrise would hurry up and get here...'_

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AN: Human Inuyasha!! I love writing Inuyasha in his different forms (hanyou, human, and demon-ish). And this is only the second time I've written human Inuyasha. Anyways... I'm just rambling about unimportant stuff right now, so feel free to ignore this n.n;;


	8. Visiting Old Friends

AN: No answers to reviews this chapter, on account of I'm being really lazy lately. That's obvious since I haven't updated my website for a couple weeks (but I _AM_ working on a major update as I type this) n.n;; I'll start replying to reviews again with the next chapter, promise! But I really, _really_ do appreciate all the feedback I've recieved on this story :)

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Morning came quickly, but as usual, it wasn't quick enough for Inuyasha. Of course, sunrise could never come quick enough for him on the night of the new moon. A little bit after sunrise, after he had regained his demonic powers, the hanyou leapt to the ground to stretch his tired limbs. His mind told him to sleep, and he _was_ tired, especially after the battle that had occurred the previous day. But, he knew Sango would be up soon, so sleeping wouldn't be a very good idea...

It wasn't long before Sango awoke. And, remembering the previous nights conversation, it didn't take her long to get ready for the trip to Kaede's village. As soon as she walked outside, she was met with the sight of Inuyasha leaning against the side of her hut, with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I was wondering when you'd get up." Inuyasha said, without even looking up at her.

Sango smiled slightly as she stretched her arms ahead of her, "We all don't stay up all night."

He huffed and looked at her, as he stood up fully again, "Yeah, well... you still took a long time." He muttered, glancing to the side for a moment. As he turned back to her, he looked her over a few times before raising an eyebrow, "Do you _always_ wear that thing now?" He asked, speaking about her slayers uniform.

The taijiya blinked and looked down at herself, before realizing what he was talking about, "Oh, hai... It's easier to train in, and you can never tell when a village needing an extermination will call on us. So, it really makes things easier." She paused for a moment, and then asked, "Why? Do you have a problem with it, Inuyasha?"

"Keh, why would I care what you wear?" He asked, wrinkling his nose, "I don't care."

She shrugged slightly and turned towards the gates, "Okay. Then, let's get going."

"Ane-ue.. Inuyasha, where are you two going?" Kohaku asked, yawning as he came outside from one of the other huts, carrying Kirara in his arms.

Sango looked back to her brother, "We're going to visit a couple of friends. Could you look after things while we're gone?"

Kohaku nodded slowly, looking at Inuyasha for a moment, "Sure... when will you be back?" He asked, looking to Sango once again.

"We should be back later on sometime; I'm not sure when exactly." She replied, "But this time, we'll be taking Kirara with us." She added, taking the neko from her brother's arms, "I'm sure you want to see Shippou and Kaede again, don't you?" She asked, scratching the neko's ears.

"And _I_ don't want to end up having to lug your ass around." Inuyasha added smugly, smirking.

Sango rolled her eyes and walked towards the gates, "And I don't want to end up being carried by you either."

He snorted and followed after her silently.

Kohaku watched them walked away, and shook his head slightly, before turning to get ready for the days events.

Once outside, Kirara jumped to the ground and transformed to her larger form, allowing Sango to get on her back.

Inuyasha yawned, stretching his arms above his head, "So... you ready to go now?" He asked, glancing to Sango.

"Hai, Inuyasha. But, do you want to ride on Kirara? You look kind of tired." She said, just wanting to see if he wanted the rest.

Inuyasha frowned slightly, "I don't need a ride. I'm not weak like you humans, so I'll run." And with that, he took off, running down the mountain path.

She sighed, but shrugged lightly, "Okay then, let's go Kirara." She said, patting the side of the fire-cat's neck.

Obediently, Kirara ran and leapt into the air, flying a few feet above Inuyasha's head.

As they headed towards Kaede's village, Sango glanced down to Inuyasha occasionally, just checking to make sure he was okay, and that they were on the same path. However, they had been on the trail, so to speak, for all of ten minutes when Sango spotted something. She waited for a moment, to see if Inuyasa would see it, and when it appeared that he wouldn't, she spoke up, "Hey, Inuyasha?"

"I told you, I don't _need_ a ride!" He replied, scowling again. Hadn't he told her enough times already?

She shook her head slightly, "I know that, but--"

"Then shut up already." He interrupted, glancing up to her and Kirara.

She frowned slightly, "Would you just listen to me? I'm trying-- watch out for that--"

Too late. Inuyasha tripped and soon found himself face-down in the dirt, sprawled out on the ground.

"...Tree root" Sango sighed, looking down to the hanyou, "Go down, Kirara."

Kirara landed on the ground a foot or so away from Inuyasha's cursing form, and Sango jumped to the ground once more, before kneeling next to Inuyasha, "Are you okay?"

"Why... didn't... you... tell me?!" Inuyasha asked sharply, his head snapping up to look at her.

"I tried." She replied, rubbing a hand over her eyes, "You wouldn't listen."

"Then next time, try telling me _harder_." He said, standing up and brushing the dirt off himself.

She stood up as well, resting her hands on her hips, "Well, I can, but it won't work if you just ignore what I say."

"Keh!" Was all he said in reply, before turning to run off again.

Before he could, though, Sango grabbed the arm of his haori and pulled him towards Kirara, "Come on, Inuyasha, just let Kirara take you there this once."

"But I don't _want _her to take me, I can go by myself." He said, frowning and sending a glare in her direction, "I _don't_ need to be carried!"

She hopped on Kirara's back before turning to look at him, though her hold on his haori remained, "And if you don't let her take you, you'll end up walking off the edge of a cliff before we even get to Kaede's village."

He looked to the side and mumbled something under his breath before turning to her once again, "And I suppose you won't let me go unless I agree, right?"

"No, I'm not letting you go until you get on Kirara, and we're in the air." She replied, smiling.

"You..." He began, pointing a clawed finger at her accusingly, "You are... the most _stubborn_ woman I have ever met!"

She only smiled more, "From you, I'll take that as a compliment." She tugged on his sleeve again, pulling him closer, "So, would you please hurry up so we can reach Kaede's village before nightfall?"

The hanyou huffed, and reluctantly climbed onto Kirara as well, "I will get you for this, Sango."

"Get me?" She asked, glancing back to him as Kirara took to the air once again, "I'm doing this to help you, not to get back at you or anything."

"Still..." He mumbled, looking down at the ground for a moment, "So how long until we get there?"

"It shouldn't take much longer." She said, looking ahead once again, "By the time we start back for the exterminator's village, do you think you'll be awake enough to get back on your own without tripping over tree roots?"

"I'm awake enough _now_." He replied, looking around slightly. The view from up there was a lot different from what he usually saw. Of course, he usually ran on the ground, instead of being in the air like Kirara was. It was a nice change, actually... but he preferred running. As he turned back to Sango, a smile slowly spread across his face, as an idea came to mind. But, that would have to wait for a while yet. "Oi, Sango. Why are you so intent on seeing Kaede and Shippou again? What are you going to do once we get there?"

The taijiya shrugged, finally letting go of his sleeve as she looked ahead, thinking, "Well, like I said, I haven't seen them for a long time... It'd be nice to see how they're doing and everything. I guess I'll just see what they've been doing lately; how Shippou's been and all..." She paused for a moment, then smiled and scratched the side of Kirara's neck, "Besides, Shippou and Kirara were pretty close, I'm sure he'd love to see her again. And you'd like to see him too, ne, Kirara?"

The fire-cat gave a friendly roar and smiled, as much as a feline can smile. She really did miss the young kitsune, as well as most of the other people she had traveled with.

Finally, without much more trouble between the two warriors, the trio reached the outskirts of Kaede's village. Kirara landed on the ground, allowing Inuyasha and Sango to both jump to the ground once more.

"Oi! Kaede, Shippou!" Inuyasha called, walking towards her hut, with Sango following close behind.

Shippou was first to come outside, as soon as he heard Inuyasha's voice. "Inuyasha!" He said happily, running outside. As soon as he saw Sango, though, he stopped and looked at her for a moment, before smiling, "Sango!" He ran and leapt into the young woman's arms, his little paws wrapping around her neck, "Sango, it's so good to see you again! I didn't think I'd ever see you again. Why are you with Inuyasha?"

Sango smiled and hugged the kitsune back before answering, "It's nice to see you to, Shippou. And I'm with Inuyasha because he's staying at my village for a while."

Shippou blinked, his green eyes looking to Inuyasha curiously, before looking to Sango once again, "You two are living together? What about Miroku?"

She was silent for a moment, "Houshi-sama... Houshi-sama went to live somewhere else. Things... didn't turn out quite like we had hoped they would." She replied, sounding slightly saddened.

"Oh... well, at least Inuyasha's there, right? He may not be the most dependable but..." The kitsune trailed off, grinning innocently at the hanyou.

"What was that?" Inuyasha asked, sending a glare at Shippou, "I'm more dependable than you, you brat!"

Shippou shrugged slightly and jumped back to the ground again, "That's what you say, Inuyasha."

Before Shippou could say anything more, Kirara transformed back to her original size and tackled the kit, mewing happily and purring.

"Kirara!" Shippou cried happily, laughing as he struggled to stand up, though Kirara was making that a difficult task, "I didn't know you were here!"

About that time, Kaede came outside as well. She took one look at the visitors and smiled, "Sango, Inuyasha, what a nice surprise it is to see you again. What brings you here today?"

Inuyasha crossed his arms and nodded his head towards Sango, "Don't ask me, ask her. She's the one who dragged me here in the first place."

Sango smiled, shaking her head slightly at Inuyasha's comment, before turning back to Kaede, "Kaede, I was only wondering how you and Shippou were doing. I hope we didn't interrupt anything by coming here."

The elder miko shook her head, "No, no, of course you didn't interrupt anything, Sango. And, as you can see, Shippou and I are doing fine."

"There, you saw them. Can we go now?" Inuyasha asked, coming up to stand beside Sango.

"Inuyasha, be patient." Sango mumbled, glancing to him for a moment, "We just got here."

"And you said you wanted to _see_ them, not waste the day talking." He replied, sounding rather annoyed. He looked up at the sky for a moment and sighed, "So how much longer are you going to be?"

Kaede blinked her one good eye, and looked the two over a few times, "I might've heard wrong, but did you tell Shippou that you two were living together now?"

Inuyasha snorted, turning his attention back to Kaede, "Yeah, so what? You got a problem with that?"

Sango laughed a little nervously and placed a hand on the hanyou's arm, "What Inuyasha means, is that he's staying at my village for a while."

"Living, staying, it's the same thing." He muttered, rolling his eyes, "Now can we get out of here?"

"Inuyasha, why are you in such a hurry?" She asked, looking at him once again.

"It's quite alright, Sango." Kaede laughed, smiling, "I know Inuyasha doesn't like to spend much time here."

"Unless its dinner time!" Shippou piped in, looking up from where he and Kirara were sitting on the ground.

The hanyou huffed, looking at Shippou, "Nobody asked you! Now let's go already." He said, turning and beginning to walk away without waiting for Sango's response.

Sango sighed and looked to Kaede, "I'm sorry, Kaede, but it looks like this is shorter than I had hoped for. You know how Inuyasha can be."

Kaede nodded, "As I said before, it's fine. You and Inuyasha are always welcomed here. So, please come visit us again."

The taijiya nodded, before turning to follow after Inuyasha, "We will. Thank you, Kaede."

"Bye Sango, bye Inuyasha!" Shippou called happily, waving goodbye to them, "Come back soon!"

She smiled, looking back over her shoulder, as she waved slightly, "Okay Shippou, I'll remember that. Goodbye Shippou, Kaede."

"Yeah, yeah, see you later." Inuyasha called, slowing down his pace so Sango could catch up. "You ready, Sango?" He asked, once she had caught up.

The taijiya nodded, "I'm ready, we just have to wait for Kira-- ah, wh-what are you doing?!" She asked, suddenly finding herself being picked up by Inuyasha.

He grinned, tightening his hold on her since she kept struggling, "Let's go Kirara." He called back to the fire-cat.

Kirara blinked once, twice, then bounded after her mistress and Inuyasha. She could tell that Sango wasn't in any danger; though by the way she was struggling you would probably guess that, so Kirara didn't see any reason why she shouldn't just let Inuyasha have his fun.

Shippou scratched his cheek, and tilted his head to the side slightly, "I've never seen Inuyasha act like that before... Is he all right?" He asked, looking up to Kaede.

Kaede nodded, smiling, "They're both perfectly fine, Shippou. You needn't worry about them."

Meanwhile, Sango continued her futile struggle to get down, "Put me _down_, Inuyasha! What-- why are you doing this?"

Inuyasha only grinned, "I had to let Kirara bring me here, now you have to let me take you back. It's only fair."

"It's hardly fair!" She said, frowning slightly, "You would've killed yourself if you didn't let Kirara carry you. But I'm perfectly capable of handling myself!"

He merely grinned more, before beginning to run, "The point is, _I_ had to do something I didn't want to, so _you_ have to do something you don't want to. Now, stop struggling before I drop you."

She immediately became still, and looked up at him with slightly wide eyes, "You wouldn't!"

"I can't help what happens if you keep moving, Sango." He said, glancing at her for a moment, "Accidents happen."

"You accidentally drop me, and I'll _accidentally_ hit you with hiraikotsu as soon as we get back to the village." She replied, crossing her arms as best she could.

He winched a bit at that one. He had never been hit with the weapon before, but after seeing what it did to demons in battle, he knew he didn't _want_ to be hit by it. "Okay, okay, no accidents, but you better hold still."

"Since I don't want to fall, do I have a choice?" She asked, sighing as she closed her eyes.

The hanyou smiled and shook his head as he continued back towards the taijiya village, "Not today."

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AN: Whoa, was this chapter written strangely... Would you believe me if I told you I wrote the 'tripping' part first, the 'Inuyasha's revenge (aka, the carrying Sango)' part second, the 'beginning' third, and the actual 'visit' last? o.O Well, I did... Told you I write chapters out of order sometimes n.n Anyways... useless (disturbing?) bit of information there. So, until next time!


	9. Conversations and Confrontations

Saiyan God: I'm glad you like the story :) I update as much as I can; which is, on average, once a week (though this story has been progressing quicker lately).

Z.A.G: Aw, man, you weren't supposed to guess that! Seriously! Okay, okay, yes, you guessed right on that one. n.n;

Soru Skellington: Not my website! Eat anything but Kakera no Ai! n.n;; I'm glad you're enjoying the story though.

Big VEE: Wow, thank you so much for the kind reviews! That's all I can really say. Atropa is one of my favorite authors, so having you say that really made my day.

NefCanuck: Wonder no more! All will be explained in this chapter... Okay, maybe not _all_, but his reason for wanting to get out of the village is :)

To Everyone else: Once again, I just have to say thank you for all the feedback on this story. It's great knowing that you're enjoying it. And, as usual, I appreciate each review I receive.

AN: Nothing else to say right now, but I thought I'd give this warning since some people seemed offended with Inuyasha's language in the _'Ain't it Funny' _chapter of _'Melodies of Destiny'_. So, here: **Warning: strong language is ahead.** Though... it's nothing worse than what you'd read in the (original) manga, or hear in the Japanese version of the anime.

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Inuyasha eventually slowed from his run, to a walk when they were about halfway to the taijiya village.

When Sango noticed him slowing down, she looked up at him curiously, "What's wrong, Inuyasha?"

He shook his head slightly, glancing at her, before looking ahead again, "Nothing's wrong. Don't I have a right to walk when I feel like it?"

"Well, if you're getting tired, you could put me down and I'd gladly walk beside you." She said, beginning to struggle against him again.

He only grinned and stopped walking all-together, "You're not getting off _that _easy. I said I was carrying you back, and that's what I'm going to do. And if you want to get back to the village anytime soon, you better stop struggling. If you don't, then I'm not moving from this spot."

"So you'd wait here all night, unless I stop moving?" She asked, not really believing him, "You can't do that! I mean, you- you can't just stand here holding me like this all night!"

"Why can't I?" He asked, looking at her once again, "It's not like I'm hurting you or anything. And, like I said before, if you don't quit moving so much, I might drop you."

"And you call _me_ stubborn." She replied, looking away as she stopped her struggling. She really didn't mind Inuyasha's 'game' that much, after all, she was perfectly used to being carried. Though... that was carried as in riding on back of Kirara, not carried as in actually being _carried_ by another person.

Once she stopped moving again, Inuyasha continued walking. "You _are_ stubborn, but that doesn't mean I can't be stubborn too."

Sango remained quiet for a moment before turning back to him, and looking intently at him, as though she were trying to figure something out. Finally, she asked, "Why did you want to leave Kaede's village so quickly?"

His gaze alternated between her, and the path ahead a few times, before finally focusing on the trail, "What... do you mean? I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." She stated, her eyes never leaving his face, "You were so edgy back there. As soon as we got there, you were ready to leave. Why? What were you worried about?"

He was silent for what must've been five minutes, before finally speaking up again, "I try to avoid staying there too long at a time. I make sure Kaede and Shippou are fine, and then I leave. But..."

She waited for a moment, and when he still hadn't continued, she decided to see if she could get him to say more, "But... what, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou blinked, and glanced to her for a second, before looking ahead, "Sango... do you think... that the well can still work?"

At first, his question confused her slightly, but then she realized just what he meant, "The well that connects to Kagome-chan's country? I... I don't know, Inuyasha. You and her were the only ones who ever used it, so I can't say..." She looked away and sighed before continuing, "But... if you want to see Kagome-chan again, then--"

"No, no, that's not it, Sango." He said, interrupting her before she could finish, "I... _don't_ want to see her again."

"You don't?" She asked, surprised, as she looked at him again, "But, I thought..."

"Kikyou was finally laid to rest after Naraku's death, and after that, Kagome left." Inuyasha continued, as though Sango hadn't said a thing, "No matter how much I tried to ignore it, they were too much alike. They looked alike, smelled alike, and they even had the same kind of powers used to fight... That's something that neither one of them could understand. And... and if I see her again, things will just get mixed up all over."

Sango blinked, a little shocked that Inuyasha would, subtly, discuss his feelings like that. In all the time she had known him, he had never done that, so it _did_ come as a surprise. She knew everything he said was true. Her friend, and Kikyou were alike in many ways. She had been there when Kikyou's ashes were buried, and she had noticed the look of hurt in Inuyasha's eyes even though he tried to hide it. And, even more so, she hadn't missed the look of betrayal that showed in Kagome's eyes when Inuyasha asked for a few minutes alone at Kikyou's gravesite. She admired and cared for the futuristic miko dearly, Kagome had always been her best friend, but even she knew that Inuyasha deserved to be alone at that time.

Sighing, and without really realizing what she was doing, the taijiya let her head rest against Inuyasha's chest as he continued his way back to the taijiya village, "Inuyasha... I know that Kikyou and Kagome-chan were similar in a lot of ways, but... why did you say things would just get mixed up again? If Kagome-chan were to come back..." And she trailed off, unsure of how to complete her sentence.

Fortunately, Inuyasha completed it for her, "If she came back, she wouldn't see any problems with her being with me, since Kikyou is no longer here... But that's not how it is, Sango. A lot's changed in the past year. I can't just forget about Kikyou, and with Kagome, that would be made even more obvious. I've had a lot of time to think since we all split up, and I think it's better this way. Kikyou should have _never_ gone though everything that happened after that bitch revived her. She should've been able to sleep peacefully in the afterlife, and that's what she's finally doing. And Kagome... she doesn't belong here. It was great having her here, and I wouldn't even _be_ here now if she hadn't freed me from that tree, but she has her own family on the other side of that well." He looked at Sango for a moment, giving a half-smile, "So, things might've been tough at first, but I think everything worked out like it was supposed to."

She nodded slightly and closed her eyes. And, despite how much she tried, she couldn't help but smile as well. Inuyasha was really talking; telling her how he felt about a subject that she knew was rather touchy with him. And it made her glad, in a way she didn't quite understand yet, "So... you don't regret anything that's happened? Any of the decisions we've made?"

He shook his head, looking to the path, "Not at all."

After that, the two fell into silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, though; it was comfortable, in a sense. And it remained like that until the outer gates of the village came into view. Almost immediately, one of the villagers on sentry duty waved and called to them, "Sango, Inuyasha!

Inuyasha picked up his pace, jogging the rest of the way to the gates to see what was wrong, just as the villager came down from the tower.

"What's wrong? Did something happen while we were gone?" Sango asked, already fearing the worst.

The villager shook his head, "No, no, nothing like that. It's just-- are you okay?" He asked, seeing that she was being carried by the hanyou.

She laughed a little, "I'm fine, don't worry about me. What's going on here?"

"Sango." Another voice said, from behind the other man, "There is nothing wrong."

The villager looked back, the nodded slightly, and returned to the sentry tower he had been in previously, seeing that Yukio would explain things.

Inuyasha fought against the urge to growl when he first heard the man's voice, but he kept it in. His hold on Sango tightened ever so slightly, as he watched Yukio approach.

"While you were gone, a nearby village came to us for help." Yukio began, not even sparing a glance at Inuyasha, "Your brother thought it would be too late if we waited for you to return, so he took a couple of the others and went to the village. It was only a couple centipede-demons, so I am sure they won't run into any problems."

Sango nodded, obviously not noticing the tension between Inuyasha and Yukio, "Alright. Thank you, Yukio. I know Kohaku can handle it." She paused, and looked at Inuyasha for a moment, before turning back to Yukio, "Ano... Yukio, this is Inuyasha. He's going to be staying here."

"Staying here?" Yukio asked, his eyebrows raising in surprise, as he turned to look at Inuyasha. However, he was quick to shake off his surprise, "So, your name's Inuyasha?"

The hanyou nodded silently, his eyes remaining focused on Yukio. He didn't trust him... not one bit...

Yukio's eyes narrowed in a slight show of disapproval, but he forced himself to nod as well, "Very well." He turned back to Sango briefly, "I just felt you needed to know the whereabouts of your brother, Sango." And with that, he turned and walked into the village without looking back to them.

Inuyasha snorted as he set Sango down again, "What's wrong with him?"

The taijiya sighed and shook her head slightly, "No matter what we say, and how much we show them, there will always be people who hate and fear anything that has demon blood. Unfortunately, Yukio's one of those people... He doesn't even like _Kirara_ being around him."

"He doesn't like Kirara?" He asked, glancing to Sango, "He really _is_ a bastard, isn't he?"

"Inuyasha!" She said, laughing slightly despite herself, as she hit him lightly on the back, "Yukio may not be as trusting as others, but he's not a bad person. But..." She trailed off, and looked behind her, "Where'd Kirara go?"

He blinked, and looked back as well, then looked around slightly, "I... don't know. She was right behind us last I knew."

Sango frowned, and turned around, walking outside once again, "I'm going to look for her. Can you stay here and keep an eye on things until me or Kohaku get back?"

He seemed to hesitate a moment, but nodded slightly, "If you think you'll be all right alone out there, then I guess I can stay here."

"Of course I'll be okay, Inuyasha. I'm a professional demon exterminator, remember?" She replied, smiling, "I'll be back soon, I promise."

He nodded again, "I know you're an exterminator. Jeez, it's not like I've forgotten that since we all went our own ways." He huffed, and crossed his arms, "Just be careful." He mumbled, glancing to the side for a few seconds.

She nodded as well, still smiling, "Alright. I'll be back soon." And with that, she turned and headed in the direction they had come from. Hopefully Kirara wasn't too far from the village.

He watched her leave, before turning to walk straight back towards 'his' sentry tower. He wasn't sure why he was getting so worked up about Sango leaving. He knew better than anyone else that she was capable of protecting herself. But there was still a slight, nagging voice in the back of his mind that told him to watch out for her.

The hanyou decided it would probably be better for him to stay at the sentry tower until Sango returned. There, he wouldn't risk getting in anyone's way, and he'd still be able to keep an eye on everything. Before he could get there, however, a noise from behind caught his attention. Quickly, the hanyou turned around, bringing up his arm just in time to block something from hitting him. As he lowered his arm again, he looked at the ground to see a throwing dagger lying at his feet. Without looking up, he knew who it belonged to, and he growled lowly.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

Inuyasha looked up, the growl continuing to emit from him, "Like I could be hurt by a _weakling_ like you."

"Well, that's debatable, but I don't know _how_ you became my target. The dagger just flew from my hand." Yukio said, bending down to retrieve his weapon, before standing up to look at Inuyasha again.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed slightly; as his attention stayed focused on the young man in front of him, "Let's cut this out, Yukio. Just what's your fucking problem?"

Yukio's put-on look of good nature disappeared instantly, being replaced by one of slight, seething anger, "_You're_ my problem, half-breed. Why'd you come here in the first place?"

"I only came here because Sango asked me to." The hanyou replied, resisting the urge to just attack Yukio.

"Sango, huh?" Yukio asked, sounding as though he almost didn't believe it, "And just what are you to Sango?"

Inuyasha's arms crossed over his chest as he replied, "What do you mean what am I to her? She's my friend. And she has been since before you ever knew her. But I don't know _why_ that concerns you."

"It concerns me, because I live here, and you don't." The young man replied, "So why don't you just leave? You've put us in enough danger bringing that accursed Jewel back here. Everyone wants you gone."

"Everyone?" The hanyou questioned, raising an eyebrow, "Since when did one mans wishes become the entire villages'? You're the only person who seems to have a problem with me being here."

Yukio's green eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms as well, "I'm the only one who has voiced my opinions. But, I assure you, there are more who wish you would just leave."

"Keh!" Inuyasha glanced to the side, "Well, even if that _is_ true, that doesn't matter to me. Sango's opinion is the only one I care about, and she doesn't have any problems with me."

A suave, yet conniving smile came to Yukio's face, as he tapped a finger against his chin, "Again, it comes down to Sango? Tell me something, do you actually believe she wants you here?" His arms dropped back to his sides as he stood up straight once again, "Or better yet, what would she want with a disgusting half-breed such as yourself?"

Inuyasha's self-control seemed to snap with that comment, and he suddenly grabbed hold of the front of Yukio's clothing and pulled him closer, "Listen you bastard, I don't know _what_ your fucking problem with demons or half-demons are, but if you want to be _breathing_ tomorrow, you better learn to shut your fucking mouth!!"

Yukio's breath caught in his throat as he shut his eyes in surprise by the hanyou's actions. When he realized that Inuyasha hadn't hurt him, yet, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at him again, "You... can't do anything to me. The minute you attack, everyone in this village would be on top of you."

Growling, Inuyasha pulled him closer still, "You'd be smart not to provoke a half-demon, boy! I could snap your neck before you even had a chance to scream." He paused and grinned, as a hint of sinister delight began to show in his eyes, "This village is surrounded by woods, and it wouldn't take much to make you disappear."

"So what's stopping you?" Yukio asked, an eyebrow raising in curiosity despite his current situation.

Amber eyes narrowed, as Inuyasha seriously contemplated moving his hands to squeeze the life out of the young man. But... "No. No, I'm not going to do that, because that's what you want, isn't it? You want me to prove that I'm some blood-thirsty demon who can't control his own actions. That's what you want, you bastard." He let go of Yukio, pushing him back, "It's not going to work, I'm not falling for that. Just stay away from me, and stay away from Sango, and everything will be fine."

Yukio stumbled back slightly, before straightening himself again. He smoothed out his ruffled clothes, before looking to Inuyasha again, "And how, exactly, do you expect me to stay away from her? I see her on a daily basis, and we have to work together if we go on exterminations."

Inuyasha crossed his arms, his steady glare never leaving the man in front of him, "Don't be a smartass. You _know_ what I mean. I know what happens on exterminations; I was working with Sango long before you ever did."

The cool, slightly scheming smile reappeared on Yukio's face, as he opened his mouth, only to shut it again a few seconds later. He shook his head slightly, and then nodded, "I was only stating facts, Inuyasha. There's no need to be violent." And with that, he turned and walked the opposite direction of Inuyasha. He had wanted to say something more, but he figured he had pushed his limit enough for one day. He looked over his shoulder, glancing at Inuyasha one last time, before disappearing into one of the huts.

Once he was gone, Inuyasha snorted and jumped up into the sentry tower, "Bastard..." He muttered, as he settled himself on the floor.

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AN: Oh my goodness, I started writing and I couldn't stop! o.O;; This chapter was written completely out of order as well, but I'm sure none of you care about my odd writing habits, ne? n.n; Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	10. Time Goes By

**AN:** Haha, I finally managed to get this chapter working n.n (yay?). Anyways, sorry, but I can't reply to any reviews, on account of I can't seem to get to my review's page, and I didn't save them like I usually do. I do, however, want to say thanks to everyone that did review. And, a special thanks to the person who told me the proper name for Kohaku's weapon. So, thank you! Now, without further ado, onto the chapter!

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"Taijiya-san! The demon's are coming!"

Sango nodded her head towards the villager, before turning to look back at her other companions, "Are you guys ready?"

Kohaku nodded, as he lifted his exterminators mask to cover his nose and mouth, "Hai, ane-ue."

Inuyasha, on the other hand, merely smirked with the arrogant confidence he always seemed to possess, "Do you even have to ask, Sango?"

It had been a couple weeks since Inuyasha had joined up with Sango once again. And Inuyasha had managed to settle into life at the exterminator's village pretty well. Despite what Yukio had said to him, none of the other villagers seemed to mind having a half-demon staying there. Inuyasha seemed quite content with staying there as well. Though, he did still occasionally wonder how long he should or would be able to stay there, he hadn't brought that topic up with Sango again.

Sango, meanwhile, couldn't be happier that he was there. When she wasn't busy with the trainees, she could usually be found not too far from where Inuyasha was; showing him tricks of the trade, or just talking with him. He didn't seem to mind either way either. And, while she did occasionally go off on exterminations by herself, or with some of the trainees, the hanyou was usually waiting near the gates when she returned, or generally was one of the first to see what had happened.

Today, however, they, along with Kohaku and Kirara, had gone to a village that reportedly had a problem with a couple of demons.

Sango rolled her eyes at Inuyasha's comment, but refrained from saying anything. After all, they had a job to do. "Let's go then." She said, going in the direction that the villager had pointed out before retreating as the others had done.

"What kind of demons are we dealing with?" Inuyasha asked, walking beside Sango, and looking around for any signs of the demons.

Sango could only shake her head at the question, "They didn't say. The only thing they told me, was that they were having some demon problems."

"Inuyasha, with your senses, couldn't you tell what kind of demons they are?" Kohaku asked, glancing to the hanyou for a moment.

Inuyasha was quiet for a few seconds, then, "I wish I could..." He mumbled, "Whatever they are... they sure as hell stink." He added, lifting his arm slightly to cover his nose with the sleeve of his haori.

Sango looked over to Inuyasha, then frowned slightly, "Maybe I should've given you a mask."

The hanyou huffed and 'keh-ed', "Like I'd wear it." He replied, lowering his arm again and wrinkling his nose. Suddenly, though, his expression changed to one of seriousness and he looked forward, "They're here."

Immediately, the two taijiya looked ahead, preparing for the fight that was coming. The demons, they discovered, were a couple of large, grotesque looking demons, that really didn't look like they were one, specific type. They had two, almost human-like legs, arms that seemed out of proportion when compared to the rest of their body, one eye each, no visible ears, and fangs that protruded from their mouths. And each were a pretty decent size as well.

"You guys take the smaller one, I got the big one." Inuyasha said, cracking his knuckles. With that, he ran forward without waiting for them to reply.

Sango let out a slight sigh, as she lifted her own mask to her face. Seemed like he was _eager_ for a battle... "Well, no use in arguing with him. Kohaku, Kirara, let's go!" She added, glancing to her other companions, before running ahead as well.

Inuyasha lifted his arm, claws flexed as he prepared to bring them down on the demon he had targeted. When he was only a few feet from it, though,the demon suddenly lurched forward, and spat something at him.

The hanyou jumped back, barely missing the substance, which then landed on the ground. When the strange stuff hit the ground, it hissed and bubbled slightly where it landed in the dirt.

"Shit!" Inuyasha growled, glancing over to Sango and Kohaku, "Watch out, that stuff's dangerous!"

Hearing his warning, Sango jumped back, just as the other demon spat some of the venom at her, Kohaku, and Kirara, "That was close..." She whispered, her eyes narrowing as she took a few steps back and lifted hiraikotsu. Then, just as quickly, she threw the large weapon towards the demon.

The demon jumped to avoid the boomerang-type weapon, but that's where Kohaku stepped in. While Sango distracted the demon, Kirara flew above it, taking Kohaku with her. As the demon jumped up, the boy jumped off the fire-cat with his weapon in hand. He then swung his arm out, successfully hitting the demon's side with the blade of his kusarikama. As he landed on the ground, the young taijiya immediately turned and threw the chain part of his weapon at the demon. The chain wrapped around its leg, and the boy then gave a firm tug, forcing the demon to the ground again.

Inuyasha, meanwhile, was prepared to kill the demon he had gone after as well. Since getting close enough to it to use his claws proved to be a challenge, it wasn't long before the hanyou drew his sword. While he waited for an opening to attack, the hanyou used Tessaiga to block the demon's venomous spit from hitting him. Which, proved to be quite a feat in itself.

He glanced towards Sango, Kohaku, and Kirara a few times throughout the fight, just wanting to make sure they weren't in any danger. Sure that they were fine; he turned back to his own target, and narrowed his eyes slightly. Finding an opening to attack was proving to be difficult... So, Inuyasha decided to make his own opening.

Nodding slightly, as though reassuring himself of his plan, the hanyou ran forward. He ran straight for a few steps, and then suddenly jumped to the right. There, he ran straight another few steps, before jumping back to the left. He continued running in a zig-zag pattern, thoroughly confusing his demon target, until he was a few steps in front of it. There, he jumped into the air, flipped, and landed right behind the demon. The second his feet hit the ground, he turned and swung Tessaiga; cutting clean through the demon. He watched warily as the remains of the demon fell to the ground, and then began to dissolve and melt into a mass on the ground. Inuyasha wrinkled his nose, lifting his arm to cover his nose again, "This shit smells worse than the whole demons." He mumbled, before looking towards the two taijiya, just as Sango's hiraikotsu cut through it.

As that demon fell, it managed to spit some of its acid-like venom towards the group one last time, before falling to the same fate as the other demon had. As though on pure instinct, Inuyasha immediately sheathed Tessaiga, and ran to them. He quickly picked Sango up and jumped safely to the side. As he did that, Kirara took to the air, bringing Kohaku out of danger as well.

Once sure it was safe again, the hanyou turned to look at Kohaku and Kirara, "Oi, Kohaku! You and Kirara alright?"

The boy nodded, giving Kirara's head a pat, "Thanks to Kirara. How about you and ane-ue?"

"We're fine too." Sango replied, smiling, glad that her brother was safe. Then, looking up to Inuyasha, she added, "Thank you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha looked at her for a few seconds, then set her down again and folded his arms across his chest, "Don't worry about it."

She blinked, then frowned slightly. Okay, first he had reacted so quickly to get her out of harms way, then he had acted as though he hadn't done anything worth being thanked about. She decided to shrug it off though. Inuyasha was just being Inuyasha; his actions and motives behind those actions were sometimes hard to figure out, but that seemed to be the way he preferred things. "Well, let's go let the villagers know that the demons have been taken care of." She said, motioning back towards the village.

With that, the group headed back to the village to let the villagers know that the demons had been exterminated. Then, after everything that needed to be said had been said, they started back for the exterminator's village.

The trek back to said village was uneventful; filled mostly with silence. Kohaku walked a few steps ahead of Sango and Inuyasha, carrying Kirara in his arms. Inuyasha remained silent, looking as though he were deep in thought about something. And Sango walked contently beside the hanyou, remaining quiet as well so she wouldn't disrupt whatever it was he was thinking about.

As they neared the village, though, Inuyasha stopped suddenly and grabbed Sango's wrist, "Wait, Sango."

Sango stopped as well, and looked curiously at him, "What is it, Inuyasha? Something wrong?"

The hanyou shook his head, letting go of her again, "No, it's not that. It's just..." He trailed off, and glanced to Kohaku, then back to Sango, then to Kohaku, and back again.

Sango blinked, a little confused at first. But, it didn't take her long to figure out what the problem was. "Kohaku." She began, turning to her brother, "Could you and Kirara go ahead and let the others know that we're back and all right?"

"Sure thing, ane-ue." Kohaku replied, nodding slightly. He then smiled and turned and ran into the village to let them know they were back and unharmed.

Sango watched until he had disappeared within the village, then turned back to Inuyasha, "Now, what were you going to say?"

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment, as though trying to figure out what to say, or how to say what he wanted to. Finally, he shook his head a little, and held out his hand, "Give me your hand."

"What?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, "Why, Inuyasha? What are you planning to do?"

"I'm not going to do anything, I just want to see your hand for a minute!" He replied, glancing to the side, much like he always did when he was nervous or embarrassed about something. "Look, Sango, do you trust me?"

She nodded instantly, without even having to think about that, "Of course I do Inuyasha, it's just--"

"Then just give me your hand." He said, interrupting her as he grabbed her wrist again.

The taijiya looked at him, tilting her head to the side slightly in wonder. Just what was he doing? And...

Her thoughts were cut short when she felt something slip onto her wrist. She looked down, only to find that Inuyasha had given her a bracelet of sorts; one that looked remarkable familiar... "This is..." She began, lifting her arm so she could look at the beaded bracelet closer.

"Beads from the kotodama rosary I used to wear." Inuyasha said, finishing her statement for her. "I didn't have any use for it, so I asked Kaede to use the beads to make that."

"But, Kagome-chan gave the rosary to you before she left... Are you sure you want to give this to me?" She asked, looking at him once again. She was honored-- flattered even, that he would give her something. But, that was the only reminder of Kagome that he had, and, despite what he had said to her weeks earlier, she couldn't help but wonder if he really wanted to part with it... "Why are you giving this to me?"

The hanyou crossed his arms, glancing to her for a moment, before looking away, "As far as I'm concerned, the only memories that thing has, are one's I'd much rather forget." He replied, frowning slightly. The rosary, or rather, the beads from the rosary, only seemed to remind him of all the times Kagome used her 'osuwari' command on him... And, the fact that the miko had kept the rosary on him until the day she left, only made him wonder if she had ever really trusted him in the first place...

Looking at Sango again, he continued, "Kaede said it was supposed to help protect whoever wore it. Because of that, I was going to save it for when I found a mate."

Sango blinked, as a very surprised look came to her face, "What did you say?" She asked, still trying to make sense of the last thing he had said. He couldn't be saying what she _thought_ he was saying... could he?

Inuyasha made a startled sound, then immediately held up his hands, "Wait a minute, I didn't say I wanted _you _for a mate, Sango! I said I _was_ saving it, but-- keh! It seems like you need it more than anyone else. So... so, don't be thinking anything like that."

She looked to the bracelet again, falling silent for a moment. She felt rather embarrassed about jumping to conclusions about what he had said, and yet, at the same time there was a slight feeling of-- dare she say-- disappointment?

Sango frowned slightly, and shook her head. Well, that was just plain silly! Looking up to Inuyasha again, she gave a short nod and smiled, "Thank you, Inuyasha." Then, without hesitation, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug.

"O-oi! You don't have to... O-okay, okay, you're welcome, but enough of that." He stuttered. And, though he tried, even he couldn't hide the faint blush on his face.

The taijiya, still smiling, moved back again, "Sorry, but thank you again." With that, she turned and walked into the village again.

Inuyasha blinked, then followed after her, crossing his arms once again. Just why did she seem so happy? Had he _really_ been the one to make her that way? He wasn't sure, but as he followed her into the village, he couldn't stop the small smile that came to his face.

* * *

**AN:** Sorry about the time skip, but I couldn't work with it any other way -.-;; And, you know, I just noticed something... for someone who doesn't like writing fight scenes, I sure seem to do a lot of them, don't I? And I still have at least one more fight planned out for this story. Anyways... as always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 


	11. The Setting Sun and Conflicting Emotions

**MeLaiya:** Sorry to keep you waiting so long on this chapter n.n;; I'm glad you're enjoying the story, though!

**ZackkBum:** Thanks! Good to hear you like the story so far.

**Kiyana Va Sala:** Personally, I've always had a problem with Kagome's "trust" in Inuyasha; if there _is_ any. She claims to trust him, but she has yet to prove that she does. I could go on and on... but, I shall save that for another rant ;)

**sangolover4eva2004:** Aw... thank you n.n And, don't worry. Thing's will start to pick up in the next few chapters, I promise!

**Guyute24: **Thank you. Even though you're not a fan of the pairing, thank you for the complements, and thanks for giving this story a read.

**purplepoepleeater:** Yes, there was blushing! :) And yes, I managed to catch the plot bunnies... though a few escaped, which led to a little trouble in writing this chapter. Evil plot bunnies... -mumbles-

**sakura668: **Thanks for the comment about the fight scenes n.n I'm glad you like 'em! And, don't worry; the review's not too long. Reviews can never be to long! n.n

**Soru Skellington:** If you're reading this, go ahead and send me the next chapter to your story n.n Can't wait to read it!

**To everyone else:** I can't say this enough; thank you for the reviews!

**AN:** I know this chapter is terribly late, but my mind has been forcing me to work on a later chapter of this story; a chapter that, if everything goes like I planned, should be out in another two to four chapters. Of course, what I plan and what actually happens are two completely separate things... So, there's not telling... but, er, anyways, here's chapter 11!

.:-:.

Sango stretched her arms above her head, and glanced over to where Inuyasha was contently sitting; watching as she worked with some of the other villagers. When he looked up, as though knowing he was being looked at, the taijiya smiled then turned back to the job at hand.

Inuyasha blinked, then crossed his arms and huffed slightly, lowering his gaze to stare intently at the ground. She had been doing that for the better part of the day; ever since they had returned from the earlier extermination. And each time she did it, he had to fight down the blush that threatened to show itself. He was still trying to figure out _why_ it was making him want to blush, though. Actually... he was trying to figure out a lot of things. Like, why he had even given her that bracelet. Why had he felt the need to tell her he had been saving it for a mate? Why did she seem so happy? And, why did she keep looking at him?

Speaking of people looking at him... the hanyou snorted, shutting his eyes for a moment. He could practically feel the eyes boring into the back of his head, and he didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. Things between him and Yukio hadn't settled down much since their first encounter...

"Okay, that's enough for today." Sango announced, smiling and nodding slightly, "Be sure to get a lot of rest tonight, because tomorrow we'll be starting on hand-to-hand combat."

"Jeez... this is intense!"

"Who'd think we'd be doing this training all the time?"

"Don't demon exterminators get to rest?"

Sango smiled and shook her head a little as the group of trainees continued to talk and complain amongst themselves. The first couple weeks were always the toughest; that's when she had a good idea of who would stay and who would leave.

After a moment, she turned her attention to where Inuyasha was still sitting, "Inuyasha? Can I talk to you?"

Inuyasha looked up, before standing and giving a short nod as he made his way over to the taijiya, "What do you want?"

"I noticed that you've been watching whenever I'm working with the trainees." She began, looking ahead again as she walked towards the gates of the village, "Have you ever thought about helping me with their training before?"

He was quiet for a moment, seemingly thinking over what she had said as he walked calmly beside her, "It's crossed my mind a few times... But, you seem to do pretty well having some of the others help you so..." He shrugged and crossed his arms, "So why should I bother?"

She clasped her hands in front of her, as she came to a stop just outside the village gates, "What makes you think it would bother me?" She asked, glancing to Inuyasha for a moment, "But, anyway, I wanted to know if you would help me tomorrow."

Again, he only shrugged at her first question. At her second question, however, the hanyou looked at her and raised an eyebrow, "What do you want me to help you with?"

The taijiya looked ahead again, looking towards the darkening sky, "Well, tomorrow I was going to have Yukio and another of the more experienced exterminators take some of the less-experienced people around and show them how to exterminate some lesser demons. With them doing that, I was hoping that you'd be willing help me with the new trainees. You know, show them how to take a hit, make a decent strike, counter an attack... things like that."

"Hoping?" He asked, still looking at her, and donning a slightly teasing smile, "So what would you do if I say no?"

She shook her head slightly, "I guess there's nothing I _can_ do if you don't want to help. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do." She turned to look at him, giving him a small smile, "But, yes, I was hoping you would help."

He blinked, then shut his eyes and immediately looked away, "Keh, if you want my help that bad, I guess I'll help you out." Why... why was he feeling like this? It wasn't like she had never smiled at him before... or maybe it was... Before, she usually only smiled when talking to Kagome, or Shippou, or even occasionally Miroku, when he would put aside his groping tendency's. But even then, her smile had lacked something... something he saw when she smiled at him. He didn't quite understand what it was, but he knew it was there now, and that it hadn't been there before...

"Thank you."

The sound of her voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he gave in to the temptation to look at her again, only to find that she was looking ahead again. But, as the light and shadows created by the setting sun danced across her face, he noticed that she looked... no, she was...

His ears flicked, and he shook his head, _'Stop that!' _He mentally scolded himself as he forced himself to turn his attention elsewhere. He frowned slightly and furrowed his brow, stuffing his arms into the sleeves of his haori, "I'm going back into the village." He mumbled, turning to do just that. He had only taken a few steps, however, when he stopped and glanced back to Sango, noticing that she wasn't moving, "Aren't you coming?"

"I think I'm going to stay out here a little bit longer." She replied. Then, looking back to him for a few seconds, she smiled and added, "You don't have to worry about me."

"I... don't worry." He said, turning and continuing his way into the village.

Sango closed her eyes, giving a short nod, "Of course, Inuyasha."

The hanyou glanced back towards her once more, and then disappeared into the village. Usually, he wouldn't mind staying near Sango, but he wanted some time to think... He needed to figure out what had been happening lately; why his actions and... feelings towards her were beginning to change...

"You don't worry, huh?"

Inuyasha gave an exasperated sigh, rolling his eyes. As if he didn't have enough problems... "Since when did my conversations become your business?"

"Ever since you started staying where I live." Yukio replied, his eyes following Inuyasha's movements, "Just _why_ do you stay here if you don't worry about anyone?"

Inuyasha growled, his eyes cutting to where the young man stood, "That's none of your concern. I don't have to answer to you, so just shut up and leave me alone!" With that, he continued briskly on his way, wanting to get as far away from Yukio as possible.

Yukio, however, wasn't too happy about that option, "Don't you walk away from me!" He said, going after the hanyou and reaching out to grab hold of his arm.

Inuyasha immediately turned, hitting Yukio's arm away, "Don't touch me!" He said lowly, a growl beginning to edge into his voice again, "I still don't know what you have against demons or half-demons, but you better suck it up and learn to live with it, because the only way you'll be getting rid of me, is if Sango tells me to leave, or if you can manage to kill me. And if you think you can pull off that second one, you're an even bigger idiot than I originally thought."

"That's exactly my 'problem'." Yukio stated, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Inuyasha, "You think you can just come in here and do whatever you want, whenever you want and no one will ever question you. Well, I'm not falling for that, _Inuyasha_, so you'd better learn to watch your back."

The hanyou stepped closer to Yukio, speaking so low that the words came out sounding more like a growl than actual words, "Is that a threat?" His hands clutched into fists at his sides as he tried to keep his temper in check, "I've told you once, and I'll tell you again, you should learn not to provoke a demon, or a half-demon. And that's the _last_ time I'm going to tell you that. So, if you don't cut this out... you're going to have to deal with what happens."

Yukio merely smiled that confident, yet conniving smile of his, "Which just goes to show that nothing with demon blood deserves to be trusted. But, I have to ask, just _who's_ doing the threatening now?"

"What's going on here?"

Both Inuyasha and Yukio looked up and turned slightly to find Sango looking at them, her arms crossed over her chest as she waited for an answer.

Yukio was first to shake off his surprise, and he spoke up, "We're only talking, Sango. Talking and nothing more. Isn't that right, Inuyasha?"

"Whatever." The hanyou snorted, folding his arms across his chest. He wasn't up for another argument... especially if that argument occurred in front of Sango.

Sango shook her head slightly, reaching up to rub her forehead, "I don't know what's going to happen if you two can't start getting along with each other. Or, at least _tolerating_ each other." She had finally learned about their... disagreements a few days after Inuyasha had started staying there. Or, actually, most of the village knew that they didn't get along. She had hoped that they would somehow work out their differences, but that didn't seem likely to happen... "Look, Inuyasha, Yukio, I know you two have some... problems with each other, but we're all living here, in the same village. And, if we're working as demon exterminators, we need to work together a lot of times. I know it's probably a lot to ask, but could you two please try to at least accept that fact and try not to kill each other?"

Inuyasha started to say something, but instantly stopped when he saw the taijiya put up her hand, wanting him to stop.

"It was a rhetorical question." She stated firmly, lowering her hand again. She didn't mean to sound as harsh as she did, but quite frankly, she was getting tired of their arguments, "Inuyasha, Yukio, I want to thank you two for agreeing to help tomorrow, that's what I originally wanted to say, and I still am thankful to you both. But, please, if you're going to start arguing every time you two meet, maybe you should try to stay away from each other." With that, she walked past them, hoping to rid herself of the headache that had suddenly come on.

"Kind of hard staying away from someone when they always seem to seek you out." Inuyasha muttered, glaring at Yukio, before pushing past him and heading back towards one of the sentry towers in the back of the village; the one that, ever since his arrival at the village, had somehow become his place to sleep, and think, and to be whenever he wanted to be alone.

"Inuyasha."

"What?!" The hanyou snapped, without even paying attention to who was calling him.

Kohaku flinched and stumbled back a couple steps in surprise, "Ah... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you..."

Inuyasha grimaced at the sound of his own voice. Just because he was getting irritated, didn't mean he had to take it out on the first person that spoke to him, "Shit, Kohaku, I didn't mean to do that. It's just been a very... _trying_ night so far... What did you want?"

The boy was quiet for a moment, before looking up to Inuyasha again and shaking his head a bit, "Nothing, really... I was just going to ask you if you wanted to get some water with me."

Inuyasha was prepared to continue on his way to the sentry tower, and then thought better of it. Well, what else did he have to do? Besides, he felt that he kind of owed it to the young taijiya after snapping at him like that... "Sure. Let's go."

Kohaku brightened up instantly, "Really? Great!"

Only a few minutes later the two sat on the ground away from most of the village huts. Kohaku poured some water into a clay cup, then handed it to Inuyasha, "Here."

The hanyou took it and nodded his head towards the boy as a 'thank you' of sorts, "You did pretty good against that demon today. Sango teach you those moves?" He asked, trying to strike up a conversation.

Kohaku nodded, taking a drink from the cup he held, "What I didn't learn from her, I remembered from what my father taught me... But, you did great today too, Inuyasha. You and ane-ue are the only people I know that could defeat a demon on their own." He set his cup down on the ground, and leaned back slightly as he looked into the sky for a moment, "Ane-ue says we're always supposed to take at least one other person with us when we go on exterminations because it's safer that way. But, even though she says it, she goes alone sometimes."

Inuyasha nodded slightly, as Kohaku spoke. Though, as he spoke the last part about Sango, the hanyou's expression became more serious, "She shouldn't do that." He began, his eyes narrowing slightly as he spoke, "If she got hurt, no one would know. Demons can be unpredictable... dangerous..."

The young taijiya blinked, sitting up again, "So, you worry about her to?"

"What?" Inuyasha asked, coming out of his thoughts and sounding surprised, as he looked at Kohaku. What was with everyone bringing up the topic about being worried about someone, or as was the most common case, him worrying about Sango? "No, no I don't worry about her! Sango's one of the toughest people I know, why should I worry about her? I just... I just don't want to see anything happen to her. That's all!" Okay... maybe that was the same things as worrying, but he wasn't about to admit that... Not when he was trying to figure out several _other_ things.

Again, Kohaku blinked. So Inuyasha _did_ worry... That was obvious, despite the hanyou's objections. After another moment of silence, he finally asked, "Inuyasha, can I ask you something?"

The hanyou glanced to Kohaku for a second, then looked ahead again, "Sure." He replied simply, before taking a drink from the cup he still held.

"Ano... do you... like my sister?" Kohaku asked, somewhat hesitantly, as he kept his eyes on the hanyou.

The water he had just drunk was promptly spat back out, as Inuyasha nearly choked, "What?! I-- Why would-- What in the _hell_ gave you that idea?!"

Kohaku just shrugged and looked ahead again, "Well, you came here after she asked you to, and she's always with you... Then, today with those demons, after we killed that last one, you were so quick to get her out of the way of that poison stuff. Kirara could've got her out of the way, you know. And you were the one that gave her that bracelet, right?"

Inuyasha remained silent for a few minutes, as he focused intently on the water in the cup that he still held. Finally, he closed his eyes and stood up, "You're looking too much into things, Kohaku." He said, sounding remarkably calm, despite his previous reaction, "Your sister is just a good friend of mine. I just worry about her."

The boy stood up as well, cocking his head to the side slightly as he looked at Inuyasha, "But, Inuyasha, didn't you say you don't worry about her?"

Inuyasha opened his eyes and glanced to Kohaku. He had said that, hadn't he... Just how did he get himself in situations like this? "Maybe I did say that... Whatever, I'm going to sleep." He muttered, quickly walking to the back of the village.

Kohaku sighed slightly and shook his head. Just from the hanyou's reaction, it was obvious what the answer to that question had been...

.:-:.

**AN:** Just so you know, the word I had in mind when Kohaku asked Inuyasha if he liked Sango was "suki" (I think that's spelled right..). I see it commonly translated as "love", but, if I remember correctly, it means "like" in the literal sense... That's the reason behind Inuyasha's reaction. I could be wrong though, so... meh... Anyways, hope you enjoyed it!


	12. Training and Unexpected Visitors

**Z.A.G:** Of course he's crafty! Just another reason why I love Kohaku. You got your internet back? Great! I can't wait until you update your stories!

**singergirl22:** Well, I'm honored that this is the first InuSan story that you have read. And, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

**Shezel:** I can't say how many chapters this story will have. I never really plan that out in advance. I tend to write later chapters before earlier ones, but I never know how long my stories will turn out in the end n.n;

**Big VEE: **Thank you so much. I'm glad you liked the last chapter n.n My site's forum? Oh my, I forgot about that place, since there hasn't been much activity there. Oops... I need to check that place more often.

**purplepeopleeater:** Ah, yes... Kohaku's innocent questions hit a little too close to home for poor Inuyasha. Well, the main idea in the whole Inuyasha-Yukio rivalry is the fact that Inuyasha's half-demon. Of course, a lot of people caught onto the fact that Yukio has a little thing for Sango, so that just adds to it. And, thanks for the advice about the plot bunnies. I'll have to remember that ;)

**Shadowflame131: **Okay, great, glad I got that right then n.n;; Yes, I have already determined Yukio's fate and... you'll just have to wait to see what happens to him.

**Everyone else:** I bet you're getting tired of hearing it, but thanks for the reviews!

**AN:** I really don't have anything to say right now, so onto the chapter!

**.:-:.**

Night went, and morning came as usual. Also as usual, Inuyasha was first to awaken. The hanyou yawned and stretched, before standing up and jumping down from the sentry tower. After a moment of standing silently, he made his way outside of the village. As he walked, the conversation that had occurred between him and Kohaku the previous night came back to him.

Okay, so he worried about Sango, so what? He worried about all his friends... But... if Sango was just a "friend", why was he beginning to feel differently about her? Why did he catch himself looking or thinking about her so much? And... most of all... why did he react the way he did when Kohaku asked him if he liked her?

The hanyou growled to himself, shaking his head, "Ah, damn it!" The more he thought about it, the more confused he got... and the more he wondered about it.

It was a while later, once he could hear more villagers beginning to talk and such, when he finally gave up trying to figure anything out, and went back into the village. He wanted to find Sango, to see if she was still upset with him, but the first person he ran into was, none other than Kohaku.

"Inuyasha, there you are." The young taijiya said, smiling as though he hadn't done anything out of the ordinary the previous night, "Are you still going to help ane-ue train with the trainees today?"

Inuyasha gave Kohaku a somewhat skeptical look. Why was he acting so... so... _normal_? "I guess... if she still wants me to help."

"Of course she does!" Kohaku stated cheerily, nodding, "Who do you think told me to find you?"

The hanyou crossed his arms and shrugged, "How was I supposed to know?" He blinked suddenly, and glanced around before leaning closer to Kohaku, "You didn't... tell her anything... did you?"

Kohaku tilted his head to the side slightly, "Anything? Like what?"

"You know..." Inuyasha replied, glancing around once again, "Anything we talked about last night?"

"Oh, that." The boy said, as though he had forgotten all about it, "No, I didn't say anything about that. I thought you'd want to tell her."

Again, Inuyasha blinked, before standing up straight again, "Keh. There's nothing to tell. What could I possibly tell Sango?"

"Tell me what?"

Inuyasha nearly jumped out of his skin. He spun around, a hand going to his chest, over his heart, "S-S... Sango?! What the... Why are... Don't _do _that!"

Sango couldn't help but laugh at the hanyou's antics. Surprising him wasn't an easy task, she knew, "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I didn't mean to scare you. Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

He took a breath, forcing himself to calm down, "No, there's nothing I want to tell you." He said finally, glancing to the side, "Kohaku and I were just talking.. Isn't that right, Kohaku?"

"If you say so, Inuyasha." Kohaku replied with another of his smiles, "I'll see you and ane-ue during the training session later." With that, he ran off, disappearing among the other villagers that were moving about the village.

"What was that all about?" Sango asked, turning back to Inuyasha and arching an eyebrow curiously.

Inuyasha shook his head quickly... perhaps _too_ quickly... "Nothing. Nothing at all." He fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Sango, you're not still mad at me, are you?"

"Mad?" She repeated the word back to him, then, realization dawning upon her she looked down for a few seconds, before shaking her head slowly, "No... No, I'm not mad, and I never really was. I was just a little irritated with the way Yukio and you were acting."

He nodded slightly, looking at her for a moment, then looking away again, "Well... he's usually the one that seeks me out. But, for your sake, I'll try to ignore him..."

"Really?" She asked, looking up at him again. When she saw him nod, she smiled, "Thank you, Inuyasha. I'll have to have a talk with him later, but for now, let's not think of that. Yukio's already left with his group, so why don't we get to work with the trainees?"

"Sounds good." He replied. Then, with a grin, he added, "I can't wait to see what these trainees can do."

.:Later that day. Afternoon sometime:.

"Great job." Sango said, giving the trainees a satisfied smile, "We'll run through a couple counters, then we'll call it a day." She then turned to Inuyasha again, "Ready?"

The hanyou chuckled and gave his signature smirk, "Of course." That smirk remained on his face as he watched Sango move back a few feet, preparing her next move. Then, when he saw her signal to him, he ran towards her, making sure not to use his full speed. When he was close enough to her, her threw a punch at her; again being careful of his strength. After all, this was only to show the trainees how to do some decent counters.

She remained still, staying where she was until he was close to her. Once he threw the punch, she ducked underneath it and, at the same time, reached up to grab his wrist. Then, using his momentum against him, she turned, bringing his arm back behind his back. The taijiya kept a firm hold on his wrist, as she brought her other arm up around his neck; making sure not to put too much pressure on either his neck or arm, since she wasn't out to hurt him. "Once you have a firm hold on the demon, you should have the advantage since you have it from behind. Any questions?"

"What if they counter the counter?" Someone from the back asked.

"Counter the counter?" Sango asked, blinking at the familiar voice.

Inuyasha too, was a little surprised at the question, and the familiarity of the voice. Though, it didn't take him long to catch on, and he grinned, glancing over his shoulder to the taijiya, "Like this." He said, reaching back with his free arm and grabbing hold of the sash around her waist. And, without giving her a chance to figure out what he was doing, he tugged firmly on the sash, causing her to loose her balance and release her hold on him. As soon as he was free, so to speak, he turned and, with a swift motion, had her picked up in his arms before she could fall, "Like that!"

The taijiya blinked again, trying to will her mind to catch up with what had just happened. Finally, she pursed her lips together and, ignoring the laughter of the villagers that had witnessed what had happened, she said, "Well, we just have to hope that the demon you're fighting isn't in such a playful mood... _Kohaku_!"

"I was curious, ane-ue." Kohaku replied, sounding oddly innocent as he made his way up to the front again, "I didn't know what Inuyasha was going to do though."

"Don't be upset, Sango." Inuyasha said, still grinning as he set her down again, "I was only having some fun."

She shook her head slightly, trying to keep a straight face, but at the look Inuyasha was giving her, she couldn't help but smile, "I'm not upset, Inuyasha, I just wish you'd warn me before pulling a stunt like that. But, if it was just for fun..." She trailed off and suddenly swept her leg forward, knocking the hanyou's feet from under him. And, at the same time, she brought her arm across his chest, making him fall back.

"Gah!" His arms flailed uselessly for a second, before he hit the ground with a surprised 'oof'. He blinked, trying to figure out what had just happened, then sat up again and looked to Sango, "Well, what was that for?"

The taijiya laughed and gave him a triumphant smile as she placed her hands on her hips, "Why should you be the only one to have some fun?" She asked, before turning back to the trainees, "And _that_ is how you can counter a counter of a counter."

He huffed and keh-ed as he pushed himself up, "I only _let_ you do that, Sango." He said, crossing his arms, "Next time you--" He stopped suddenly, and began to look around uneasily, "Damn it..."

Sango cocked her head to the side slightly, losing all signs of amusement as she noticed the hanyou's change in demeanor, "Inuyasha? What's wrong?"

Inuyasha growled, moving closer to Sango in a gesture of protectiveness, "Why are _they_ coming?"

She frowned, already not liking what was going on. She didn't know who 'they' were, but, apparently, it wasn't good... "Everyone, go back inside the village." She said, looking back to the people she had been training with only a few minutes earlier. No matter what happened... their safety had to be one of her main concerns... Once they were inside, she turned back to Inuyasha, laying a hand on his arm, "What are we dealing with here?"

He glanced over to her, prepared to answer. Before he could, however, he was interrupted.

"Kohaku? Kohaku!"

Both Inuyasha and Sango blinked, turning to look at the young taijiya, who had remained outside with them.

Kohaku looked towards the sky, in the direction the voice had come from, then turned to look at his sister and Inuyasha. He laughed slightly, "I don't know who it is.." He said nervously, though the voice _did _sound familiar...

A moment later, a two-headed dragon came into view in the sky. On its back, was a young girl wearing a two-toned orange kimono that had green, interlocking circle designs. As the dragon landed on the ground, the young girl smiled brightly, her brown eyes shining with laughter as she jumped off the dragon and ran closer to Kohaku, Sango, and Inuyasha, "Kohaku! It _is_ you!"

"Rin?" Kohaku asked, obviously surprised as the young girl stopped in front of him, "What are you doing here?"

The smile on Rin's face only seemed to grow as she realized that Kohaku remembered her, "I haven't seen you for a while, and I wanted to see you again." She replied, as though that was the obvious reason.

Sango looked to Inuyasha, before leaning closer to him and whispering, "If Rin's here, then..."

The hanyou nodded, "Sesshoumaru and Kagura are nearby as well. If my idiot brother brought her with him, though..."

"Then maybe he doesn't have murderous intentions for once." She said, finishing his statement for him.

"Ah, Kohaku! You haven't met Ah-Un, have you?" Rin asked, oblivious to the tension created due to the fact that her Sesshoumaru-sama was nearby, "Come on! I'm sure you'll love him!" She continued, grabbing Kohaku's hand and running over to where she had left the dragon.

Kohaku only laughed again as he let Rin lead him to where Ah-Un lay.

"You're still dwelling with humans, I see."

Inuyasha blinked, then growled as he spun around, only to find Sesshoumaru standing a few feet behind him and Sango. The hanyou moved to stand in front of the taijiya defensively as he rested a hand on Tessaiga's hilt, "Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you." He growled again, his eyes narrowing slightly, "Now, what do you want?"

Sesshoumaru didn't even spare the hanyou a glance. His golden gaze remained focused ahead on Rin and Kohaku, as Rin chatted on about Ah-Un to Kohaku.

Being ignored only seemed to further irritate Inuyasha, however, "Oi! I'm talking to you!"

"As temperamental as ever, aren't we Inuyasha?" Another cool, calm voice asked as Kagura stepped up to stand beside Sesshoumaru, "You should learn to relax more. We are only here because Rin was curious about how Kohaku was doing."

Inuyasha snorted. Despite what had happened the night of Naraku's death, he still didn't trust Kagura or Sesshoumaru completely... He refrained from saying anything, however, when he felt Sango's hand on his arm again.

"Inuyasha, if they didn't come here for a fight, then let's not start one." The taijiya said, giving his arm a light squeeze. Then, walking past him, she came to a stop closer to Sesshoumaru, "I... never got a chance to say this before, and I just wanted to say... thank you, Sesshoumaru. Thank you for saving my brother." She said quietly, bowing slightly as a show of respect to the demon lord.

The hanyou blinked, slowly relaxing slightly as he watched Sango approach his older brother. It was odd almost, seeing a demon exterminator showing such respect to a demon. But, Sesshoumaru _had_ been the one to save Kohaku with the aid of Tenseiga, so he could see why she was doing what she was... Still... he looked up to Sesshoumaru again, growling lowly, letting the dog-demon know that he wouldn't tolerate him or Kagura doing anything that could harm Sango or the rest of the village.

Sesshoumaru turned slightly to regard his brother silently, before glancing to the human woman, then back to Rin and Kohaku, "The boy's life did not and does not concern me. If you must say anything, say it to Rin."

Sango nodded slightly, as she moved back to stand beside Inuyasha again. She knew it was at the child's persistence that Sesshoumaru had used his inherited sword, but she also knew that he could've ignored Rin's pleas.

.:Flashback:.

"We did it!" Kagome cried, once the light of their combined attack finally died down; leaving no trace of Naraku whatsoever.

Combined... not just the four attacks of Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, and Kagome. No, in all, there were six attacks that hit Naraku one after the other; Inuyasha's Tessaiga, Kagome's purifying arrows, Miroku's ofuda scrolls, Sango's hiraikotsu, Sesshoumaru's Toukijin, and Kagura's wind-blades.

It had come at no surprise that Kagura would be fighting against Naraku, rather than for him when the time of the final showdown came. What _had_ come as a surprise, was Sesshoumaru's involvement.

Both Shippou and Rin had been left behind, well out of the dangerous zone. By coincidence, they happened to find each other, and it was only a few moments after Naraku's demise, that the two children atop Ah-Un came flying into the grounds.

"Kagome! Sango! You're all okay!" Shippou shouted joyously, leaping from the dragon's back and scurrying over to his companions, "I was so worried about you guys!"

Rin jumped from Ah-Un's back not long after Shippou, and she ran straight to Sesshoumaru's side, "Sesshoumaru-sama, you're okay too? I'm so glad!" She said, smiling brightly up at the demon lord.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked in the direction Ah-Un had come from, "Jaken!"

"Y-yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken replied, scrambling to Sesshoumaru's side, breathing heavily since he had been pursuing Rin and the two-headed dragon.

"You were to keep Rin _away_ from here." Sesshoumaru said, his otherwise normal, cool tone holding just a hint of anger in it. The site of a battle, though the battle was over with by now, was no place for the child.

Jaken threw himself to the ground at his lords feet, hoping not to get scolded, "Forgive me, Sesshoumaru-sama! Rin and the fox child left on Ah-Un before I could stop them."

"Sesshoumaru-sama, Jaken-sama didn't know we were coming here." Rin said, looking at Jaken for a moment, before looking up to Sesshoumaru again, "I was just worried about you. And he was worried about his friends too." She added, speaking about Shippou.

Kagome picked Shippou up, holding him in her arms, "Shippou-chan, you should've waited for us. What if the battle hadn't been finished? You could've been hurt."

"But, Kagome!" The kitsune protested, looking up at the miko's face, "I was scared that something might've happened to you and the others." He then smiled, looking around at the others, "But I'm so glad that you're okay! You, and Inuyasha, and Miroku, and San... where's Sango?" He asked suddenly, looking up at Kagome again.

Kagome's features saddened slightly, and she unconsciously tightened her hold on Shippou slightly, "Sango-chan... is with Kohaku-kun right now."

"Kohaku? You mean he's al--" He stopped suddenly, when he saw Kagome shake her head. "Then..."

"He didn't make it..." She whispered, her voice wavering slightly as she turned so she could see over to where Sango was.

"Kohaku?" Rin blinked, hearing Kohaku's name mentioned, and she looked around, "Where's Kohaku?"

"Rin." Sesshoumaru said suddenly, glancing down to the child for a moment, "We're going. You too, Jaken." With that, he turned to leave.

Rin hesitated, looking back towards Kagome for a moment, "But Kohaku..."

"What happened to the boy, is none of our concern." He said, as he continued to walk away from the battle grounds, "Now, let's go."

Usually, she would follow Sesshoumaru's orders without another thought, but she couldn't without knowing what happened to Kohaku. Again, she looked around, hoping to see any signs of the young exterminator. And then, she noticed a young woman sitting on the ground, holding onto a smaller figure. Both were dressed in the attire of a demon exterminator, and Rin gasped, "K... Kohaku?" Further ignoring what Sesshoumaru had said, she ran forward, slowly stopping in front of the two, "Kohaku... Kohaku is..."

Sesshoumaru was surprised to see Rin ignoring him, though he didn't give any signs of it externally, "Rin! We're going. Now."

Sango looked up from Kohaku's face, her tear-streaked face showing slight surprise as she wondered just how this girl knew her brother...

Just from looking at Sango, and Kohaku's motionless body, Rin knew what had happened. Her eyes widened as she took a few steps back, shaking her head, "Why... why Koha... no... not Kohaku.." She shook her head more, then turned and ran back to Sesshoumaru's side, her small hands gripping onto his own hand, "Sesshoumaru-sama, please! K-Kohaku is... Kohaku..."

"What happened, has happened. It is not our concern." The dog-demon replied without looking to Rin.

"No!" Rin shouted, surprising herself as well as those around her, "Don't let him die too! S-Sesshoumaru-sama... please! Please save him like... like you saved me..." She leaned forward, burying her face in his sleeve as her shoulders shook, "K-Kohaku..."

Kagura finally decided to intervene as well, and she stepped closer to Sesshoumaru, her crimson eyes showing the slightest hint of concern, "Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru looked to Kagura, raising a brow ever so slightly, as though asking 'you too?'.

The wind-demoness nodded without hesitation. She had killed her fair share of humans, all under the command of Naraku though, but there was something about Kohaku... Perhaps it was the fact that she was usually the one who had to watch him when he had carried out Naraku's orders. Maybe it was because she had spent so much time with him, since they had both worked for Naraku. Or, maybe it was due to the fact that their lives had both been controlled by Naraku... Either way, Kagura couldn't help but feel slightly saddened to see the young boys death...

Glancing down to Rin once more, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and pulled his arm free of the child's grasp.

Rin looked up, hope beginning to shine through the tears in her eyes, "Sesshoumaru-sama..?"

He turned silently and walked calmly until he was standing in front of Sango and Kohaku, "Stand back." He said simply, drawing Tenseiga.

Sango looked up at the demon lord, and then looked over to where her friends stood, silently asking them what to do.

"I don't think you have anything to fear, Sango." Miroku said, being the first to speak, as he kept his eyes on Sesshoumaru. He, as well as all of them, had heard about Tenseiga's abilities from Myouga.

The taijiya nodded slowly, reluctantly standing up and moving back slightly. She glanced to Sesshoumaru, the back to Kohaku, feeling both anxious and worried about what was about to happen...

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed slightly, as though he were seeing something that the others couldn't, and, in all actuality, he was. Then, after making one, single slash over the boys body, he sheathed the sword again and turned, walking away once again.

As soon as he moved away, Rin dropped to her knees beside Kohaku, looking hopefully at him.

Sango remained standing where she was, looking at her younger brother, her eyes also filled with hope.

All was quiet for another few seconds, and then, Kohaku moved slightly. He coughed, and then took in a gasp of air, as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Kohaku!" Rin cried happily, her smile returning, "You're okay now..."

The young taijiya slowly looked over to Rin as he managed to sit up on his own, "Rin?" He paused, and looked over to Sango next, "Ane-ue? What happened?" He asked, bringing a hand to his forehead.

"You're okay and that's all that matters!" Rin said, laughing as she spontaneously threw her arms around his neck, giving him a hug.

Kohaku blinked, and blushed slightly, trying to figure out what had happened, and what _was_ happening.. "A... ano..."

Before he could think up anything to say, Sesshoumaru finally spoke again, "The boy will live. Now, let's go Rin."

Rin let go of Kohaku and gave him another smile, before standing up and running after Sesshoumaru, "Bye, Kohaku! See you later!" She called, waving briefly.

.:End Flashback:.

"So, why'd you drag your pompous ass all the way out here, Sesshoumaru?"

Inuyasha's voice brought Sango out of her thoughts, and she blinked, turning to look at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha crossed his arms, raising his eyebrows slightly as he waited for an answer to his question.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes for a few seconds, before glancing to Inuyasha, "It's as Kagura already told you, Inuyasha. Rin wanted to check up on the boy. That is the _only _reason we're here."

"There's no need to be so suspicious." Kagura remarked, a cool, confident smile coming to her lips, "If we wanted you dead, you would be dead by now."

"Keh!" The hanyou spat, sending a glare at the wind-user, "Don't be so sure, Kagura."

Sango frowned slightly, looking at Inuyasha, "Inuyasha, I thought the point was to stay _away_ from fighting them today."

Inuyasha huffed, glancing to Sango for a moment, "Well, _she's_ the one who started it."

"Hardly." Kagura said simply, turning to look once again at Kohaku and Rin.

He growled, his eyes narrowing slightly in a show of aggravation, "What was that?"

Sango sighed quietly, and shook her head, "Let it go, Inuyasha. Just let it go."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow slightly as he glanced back to Sango and Inuyasha, who continued to talk amongst themselves. Odd... There was something about the way Inuyasha spoke... the way he carried about his actions... it was different than before. Inuyasha had always seemed protective of that miko; the reincarnation of Kikyou, and he was obviously protective of the taijiya. But, Sesshoumaru hadn't failed to notice that something seemed different between the way he had acted while with Kagome, and the way he acted now, while with Sango. Was Inuyasha somehow involved with this woman? Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and gave a disapproving 'hmph'. Figures that the tainted blood of their family would further disgrace their family by becoming involved with a human woman.

**.:-:.**

**AN:** That has got to be the longest chapter I have written for any of my stories... whoa... er, anyways... Hope you enjoyed it! I told you Kohaku's life would be explained, and there you have it n.n


	13. Unexpected Realizations

**sangolover4eva2004:** Don't worry; things will begin to happen between them. I'm just taking it slower in this story, than I usually do. Stick with me for a little bit longer, okay?

**Z.A.G: **Ah, I really can't see them acting "brotherly". I don't know, something about their rivalry, I guess. Oh, and if Kagura's appearance was a surprise, just you wait. I'm planning on a couple more characters making cameos in this story!

**Kiyana Va Sala: **I can't say how many chapters I have for this story, because I don't know. I never really plan out how long my stories will be. So, there's no telling.

**Sango fan!:** Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I don't remember how long it took to finish though, sorry. Thanks for the comment though!

**Big VEE:** Yes, I really am neglecting the forums, and I really need to stop too. And, I know about what happened to Kagura in the series, but I couldn't help but include her; she's one of my favorite characters.

**Shadow-flame131:** I love the SesshoumaruKagura pairing, so I had to include it. Even if it wasn't much, thought. Hakudoushi? Hmm... I can't really figure out a way to include him in this one. But, I'll tell you what, he'd fit in perfectly for a scene I have planned for my other story, _'Ningen no Kokoro.' _That reminds me... I need to update that. Oops...

**To everyone else:** Thanks once again for the reviews, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

**AN:** Just wanted to wish everyone happy holidays! And, since this comes out on Christmas, here's my little Christmas present to you all. n.n Enjoy!

.:-:.

Kohaku looked back towards Sesshoumaru, Kagura, Sango, and Inuyasha, blinking slightly. Then, shaking his head, he turned back to Rin, "They're _really_ brothers?" He asked, not really believing it just yet.

Rin nodded as she looked at Kohaku, "Yeah! Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't like being called Inuyasha's brother though. Jaken-sama told me all about it."

The young taijiya nodded slowly, still unsure about it. Well, they _did_ look alike... a little... mostly their eyes... Still, they sure didn't act like brothers. At least, not from what he thought brothers would act like.

"Say, Kohaku?" She asked after a moment, looking over towards the adults, "Why is Inuyasha staying in you village?"

"Huh?" He glanced over to the others as well, before turning back to Rin, "Well, he's my sisters friend. Ane-ue used to travel with him and a couple others before Naraku was finally killed. A few weeks ago, while we were on an extermination, we met up with him. Ane-ue asked him to come back to the village for a while, and he's been here ever since."

She smiled, looking up into the sky, "And she doesn't mind that he's a demon?"

Kohaku shook his head, "He's only half demon, but no, none of us mind." He replied. Then, after a moment, he tilted his head to the side slightly and asked, "Why are you asking all this?"

The young girl shook her head and laughed, as she looked at him again, "No reason... They seem to like each other, though. Don't they?"

He blinked, surprised at first. Then, he laughed as well, "What makes you say that?"

"Just look at them!" She replied, giggling slightly as she pointed past Kohaku, towards the others.

The boy raised an eyebrow slightly, and then turned to see what she was talking about. What he saw, made him laugh again.

"What was that Kagura?!" Inuyasha asked, growling slightly in aggravation.

Kagura, unfazed by the hanyou's growling, put on her usual look of confidence as she smiled cunningly, "Why, I think you heard me the first time."

That only seemed to further irritate him, and he growled again, putting one hand on Tessaiga in a threatening manner, "I'm not playing around, Kagura! Now tell me what you said!"

The wind-demoness merely shrugged, turning away from him, "It's nothing worth repeating, Inuyasha dear. You shouldn't worry yourself over it."

"Why you..."

"Inuyasha, please." Sango said suddenly, moving in front of Inuyasha and placing her hands on his shoulders, not wanting the argument to escalate into something worse, "Don't let her get to you. It's not worth fighting over."

The growling ceased, though he continued to glare at Kagura, "Why don't you tell _her_? She's the one who started all this."

The taijiya started to say something, but before she could, Sesshoumaru interrupted her suddenly.

"Because, Inuyasha, she knows you will listen." Sesshoumaru said, his tone cool and calm, as always, as he looked back to the two.

The hanyou loosened up slightly, his gaze switching to his brother, "Oh yeah? And just how would she know that?" He asked, the angry glare becoming a look of question. Just what was Sesshoumaru getting at?

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly uninterested in explaining to Inuyasha what he should already know, "She knows, because as anyone knows, you will always listen to the one you care for."

Inuyasha made a slight choking sound and blinked, before stuttering, "J-j... Just _what's_ that supposed to mean?!" He didn't... well, Sango didn't... just how did Sesshoumaru know that?!

And, Sango was wondering the same thing... just what _did_ that mean? Inuyasha was a friend; a partner in battle and a companion elsewhere... But, if that were true... why was he blushing? _'Or, better yet, why am _I_ blushing?' _The taijiya wondered, as she felt the familiar heat rising to her face.

"I think you know exactly what I mean." Sesshoumaru replied, before walking towards Rin and Kohaku, who were still near Ah-Un, "Kagura, Rin, we're going."

Kagura looked over her shoulder to Sango and Inuyasha and grinned, obviously aware of their surprise to Sesshoumaru's comment, "See you later." She said, before following after the dog-demon.

Rin nodded when she heard Sesshoumaru announce they were leaving. "Bye bye, Kohaku!" She said cheerily, hugging, and surprising, the young taijiya, "I'll see you again sometime!" Then, looking back to Inuyasha and Sango, she waved to them, "Bye!"

"Hurry up, Rin." Kagura called back, stopping and turning to wait for the child.

The young girl smiled as she took Ah-Un's reins. As she led the two-headed dragon forward to catch up to Kagura and Sesshoumaru, she began to sing, "Tsuki no hikari ni michibikare, nandomo meguriau." When she reached the wind-user, she paused and turned to wave to Kohaku, Inuyasha, and Sango once more, before walking beside Kagura and continuing, "Seiza no matataki kazoe, uranau koi no yukue. Onaji kuni ni umareta no..." As the trio disappeared into the distance, the young girls voice faded into the wind, until it was gone completely.

When they were gone, Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest and snorted, "It's about time they leave. Sango, do-- what?" He asked, noticing the look she was giving him, "What is it?"

Sango blinked, then shook her head slightly, "Nothing... But... what did Sesshoumaru mean by 'you will always listen to the one you care for'?"

"Hnnn..." The hanyou glanced around nervously, trying to think of something to say, "What... makes you think I know?"

"Well, I just thought... no, never mind." She sighed, and hugged her shoulders as she turned to look over the mountain side that the village was situated on, "It was stupid, I guess."

"What was?" He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him, "Sango?" He tried to move so he could see her face again, but every time he moved, she turned as well.

She shook her head, continuing to face away from him, "It's nothing, Inuyasha. Could you just... leave me alone for a little while?"

"Eh..." He was quiet for a minute, as his eyes narrowed slightly, concerned. He fought the urge to just reach out to her; to try and find out what had caused her sudden change in mood... Was it what he had said? Was she upset because he had denied knowing anything about what his brother had said? _'Don't be an idiot.' _He told himself, looking away, "If... that's what you want, Sango..."

Seeing her nod, he gave an almost inaudible sigh and slowly made his way to the village gates, "I'll be in the village if you need me then..."

Again, she nodded, "Thank you." She said quietly as she sank down to the ground and hugged her knees.

Kohaku blinked, cocking his head to the side as he watched the little scene between his sister and Inuyasha. That was... unexpected... "Ane-ue?" He asked, once Inuyasha had disappeared into the village.

Sango looked up and forced herself to give him a small smile, "I'm okay, Kohaku. I just want to think some things over. Why don't you go inside as well?"

He nodded slowly and took a few steps towards the gates, before stopping again and looking at her, "You're not mad at Inuyasha, are you?"

She shook her head, "No, no it's nothing like that. You don't have to worry about that."

The young taijiya smiled slightly and nodded again, "Okay, ane-ue." And with that, he went back into the village.

Once he was gone, Sango sighed as she turned her attention ahead again. She wasn't mad at Inuyasha, she knew that... But something about his comment had made her feel... disappointed. "I wish I knew what was happening..." She said quietly, looking up to the sky.

She had traveled with Inuyasha for a while, so why were things becoming different between the way they were then, and the way they were now? _'Because then we had Shippou, Kagome-chan, and Houshi-sama with us. It was never just us.'_ She told herself

She had always held a certain admiration for the hanyou; his determination and his sometimes _overly_ confident attitude... But those were normal feelings to have towards a friend. At least, that's what she had thought then. Now... she wasn't so sure. Of course, then she had thought she was in love with Miroku... Maybe she had just told herself she had only admired Inuyasha... And, maybe, in reality, the feelings she had went deeper than that...

The taijiya blinked at the sudden realization, "That's why... Then... Then I..?" She stood up and turned to look at the village. Or, more specifically, in the direction of the sentry tower that Inuyasha usually stayed in, "Then I really do..."

Meanwhile, in said sentry tower, Inuyasha stared up at the sky. _'Damn it Sesshoumaru! Out of everything you could've said, you just had to say that.'_ Why did his brother have to come out here anyway? Why couldn't he have just sent Jaken with Rin and Ah-Un? Now, it seemed, Sango was upset with him. And all over a little comment... There were only so many things it could've meant... so why couldn't he had just said that, instead of denying he knew anything?

The hanyou shook his head, growling slightly. He didn't want to think about that now... he had to get his mind on something else...

The night of the new moon was approaching again, he realized, feeling slightly grateful that he could find another topic to occupy his mind with for a few minutes.

It was strange, he realized... every month he told himself that it would be the last time he turned human due to his human blood, and every month he was proved wrong, because he remained a hanyou, and became human on that one night.

"Inuyasha?"

The hanyou looked down from the sky suddenly, only to find Sango looking up at him from the ladder of the sentry tower, "Sango?"

"Are you okay?" She asked, climbing the rest of the way up and sitting down beside him.

He looked at her, remaining quiet for a moment, before nodding and looking away again, "For the most part..."

"I'm glad to hear that..." She trailed off for a moment, and then looked down, "I just want you to know... that I'm sorry about earlier. I just wanted to think some things over. And... and I hope you're not mad."

He blinked, glancing to her, "Why would I be mad? Actually, I thought you were mad at me."

She shook her head, smiling slightly, "I don't know, I thought you would be, I guess. But, I'm not mad." She glanced at him, before looking ahead, "So, what were you doing up here?"

"I was just thinking." He replied, flexing his claws, and putting on a small grin, "The new moon's coming up, you know."

She nodded, bringing her knees up to her chest and looking up to the sky, "I noticed... Is that all you've been thinking about up here?"

"Yeah..." He lied, looking off to the side. Well, what was he supposed to say? That he had been thinking about her? Right... "You think I'd get used to it over time, being human, I mean. But I haven't. I hate it as much as I did when I was younger."

"We all have things we can't get used to, Inuyasha." The taijiya replied, turning to look at him again, "But, ever since I first met you, you always seemed so sure that you wanted to become a full demon once you had the Shikon no Tama... Now that you do have it, why haven't you used it?" She asked. She knew she had asked once before, and he had refused to tell her. But, that was a while ago. Things had changed since then... maybe neither of them quite understood _what_, exactly had changed, but they both knew that something _had _changed...

He slowly turned to look at her, remaining quiet again, as though contemplating whether or not to say anything. Finally, with a sigh, he brought one hand up and clutched the pouch around his neck, which contained the Shikon no Tama, "I... don't know." His gaze lowered to the ground, while his clawed fingers continued to clutch at the pouch, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I want to become a demon, just like I always planned, but..."

Sango waited for a moment, and when it seemed he wasn't going to continue, she leaned slightly closer to him, "But..?" She asked softly, trying to urge him on.

His shoulders slumped and he closed his eyes, letting his arm fall back to his side, as his usual, confident exterior gave way to a rare unsure, softer look, "...Kikyou... never outright told me, but she wanted me to become a human, more than she wanted me to become a demon or stay a hanyou... Since she was a priestess, I guess it would've been accepted better if I was a human..." He trailed off for a moment; his head tilting upwards towards the sky again, "Then there was Kagome... She always said she liked me best as a hanyou. Now that I've had time to think about it, I can't help but wonder if it was just because she knew no one else would want to put up with me, if I was a hanyou... So, am I supposed to do what _Kikyou_ wanted? Or, am I supposed to do what _Kagome_ wanted? Or, do I just forget what both of them said, and do what _I_ want?" He shook his head, closing his eyes once more, "Damn it, what am I supposed to do?!"

She listened quietly as he spoke. When he stopped, she merely looked straight ahead, a saddened look on her face. She couldn't think of anything to say... what _could_ she say? He was torn between doing what he wanted, and what Kikyou and Kagome wanted him to do... She frowned slightly, thinking about that fact, as she began to feel slightly angered. Kikyou and Kagome were the two people who had _claimed_ to care about him, and yet they had both been so selfish, that they had told him to do what they wanted, without thinking about what he wanted. _'How could they be so cruel? You wouldn't do that to someone you care for...'_

"Sango?"

She blinked, coming out of her thoughts, and looked at him again, "Eh? What is it?"

Inuyasha looked at her silently for a moment, his eyes full of confusion and a hint of sadness, "What should I do?" He asked finally, his voice low, so low that she had to strain herself to hear him clearly, "I know neither one of them are here anymore, but if I do what one wanted, it feels like I'm betraying the other somehow... And if I do what I want, it feels like I'm betraying them both. So... Sango, what do you think I should do?"

The taijiya looked down, lightly biting her lower lip as she tried to think up an answer. What was she supposed to say? He had asked her opinion, but yet... it felt wrong. If she answered, wouldn't she be doing the same thing Kagome and Kikyou had?

Finally, with a sigh, she looked back to him, "I... can't answer that, Inuyasha. I'm sorry, but you're the only one who can figure it out. You shouldn't become a human, because Kikyou wanted you to... You shouldn't remain a hanyou, because Kagome-chan wanted you to... And you shouldn't become a demon, because of anything anyone's said to you. You should do whatever it is that you want to do... What you feel is the _right_ choice for you. Don't let anything Kikyou said, or anything Kagome-chan said, or even anything I say affect that decision. But..." She trailed off, and scooted closer to him as she put her hand on his, "But, I want to you know, that whatever you finally decide to do, I'll still be here. For as long as you stay here, or for as long as you let me..." She trailed off once again, before smiling slightly and closing her eyes. She then leaned her head against his shoulder, her hand remaining on his, "I'll be with you."

He blinked once, twice, and fell into a stunned silence. After they had met up again, she had mentioned something about telling Miroku that she would stay with him, regardless of whether or not he became a demon. But... somehow, having her tell him _directly_ made it mean more. And, in a way, her reply had helped more than if she had told him what to do with the jewel, _'Sango...' _The hanyou smiled slightly, remaining still for the most part. Though, he did lean his head to the side, so it was resting against hers, which remained on his shoulder, _'Thank you, Sango.'_

.:-:.

**AN:** Well, after twelve chapters, it's about time, ne? This, my friends, is where things will start to get interesting. That's all I can say, because I don't want to spoil anything n.n So, until next time! Ja!

Oh, one more thing! Can anyone tell me where Rin's little song came from? Here's a hint; it's the opening of an anime. Well, that really narrows it down, doesn't it? :) Good luck! (And, yes, I left it in Japanese on purpose)


	14. Foxes and Friendly Fights

**AN:** Nope, I am not dead. As was mentioned over on Kakera no Ai, my power got knocked out a few weeks back by an ice storm. Then, once power was restored, my computer died on me. But, it's back, and I'm back, so things are looking up. Sorry, but there won't be any replies to reviews now, but it will pick up again next chapter. Thanks for the reviews!

Oh, and one person figured out where the song came from. It's called _MU-NRAITO Densetsu_, or Moonlight Legend; the opening for the first four seasons of Sailor Moon. Translated, the lyrics are: 'Guided by the light of the moon, we meet each other again and again. By counting constellations blinking, we forecast the outcome of this love. We were born in the same country...' That's where I cut off in the story, but the next line would've been 'Miracle Romance'.

So, without further ado... here's chapter 14!

* * *

Sango sighed, and reached up to rub her forehead, before crossing her arms over her chest, "Inuyasha, are you _sure_ you know where you're going?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and gave an agitated sigh as well, "For the last time, Sango... _yes_, I do. We'll get there faster if you'd quit asking me that too."

"We would've already _been_ there if you would have let me bring Kirara." The taijiya replied, glancing at him, before turning her attention to the path ahead of them.

"So you're saying you don't like spending a little extra time with me?" He asked, sounding more than a little offended at the comment.

"I never said that."

"It's what you were implying."

"Was not."

"Was to."

She looked at him once again, frowning as she saw the serious expression he wore, "Inuyasha, you know that's not true. I only mentioned it, because last time we visited Shippou and Kaede-sama, you were in a hurry to leave. I don't mind spending the extra time with you, though... Actually, I like it."

The hanyou gave her a quick, side-ways glance and raised an eyebrow slightly, "Really?"

She nodded, and smiled slightly, "Really."

The night had passed without any more incidents, and morning had come about quickly. Sango had awoken to the surprise of finding Inuyasha waiting for her outside of her hut. And, she had received another surprise from him, when he asked if she wanted to see Shippou and Kaede again.

Needless to say, she had accepted, and the two had set out; once they had told a few villagers of their plans, and left Kohaku and, to Inuyasha's dismay, Yukio in charge until they returned. And, even though he didn't like the choice of leaving Yukio in charge, Inuyasha had stayed true to his promise to Sango, and he had ignored the young man throughout the short conversation.

That, however, was a while ago. The hanyou and taijiya had spent the better part of the morning walking to Kaede's village.

"Well, you can see the village now." Inuyasha said after a moment, wanting to change the subject, "I told you I knew where I was going." He added with a satisfied smile.

Sango looked up and nodded, but before she could say anything, another voice shouted out.

"Sango!"

That was the only warning the taijiya received, before being attacked by a bundle of fur; also known as Shippou.

"I thought that was you and Inuyasha I saw! I was wondering if you were ever going to come back." The kitsune continued, clinging onto Sango, much like he used to do with Kagome, "I guess Inuyasha's still staying with you then?" He asked, glancing over to the hanyou.

Sango smiled once she realized that her 'attacker' was only Shippou, "You guessed right, Shippou. I guess you can say he grows on you after a while." She said, giving the hanyou a slightly teasing smile.

Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest, but met her smile with a grin of his own, "Oh yeah? Well, don't be expecting to get rid of me _too _easily, Sango."

Shippou blinked a few times, before scurrying from Sango's arms, up to her shoulder, "Um... speaking of getting rid of... you two aren't going to leave right away, are you? Last time, Inuyasha took off as soon as he got here. Can you stay a _little_ longer this time?"

The taijiya looked at Shippou; as best she could with his current position on her shoulder, then turned to Inuyasha, giving him a curious look. She knew the reason why Inuyasha didn't like to stay at Kaede's village too long; he had told her the last time they had visited. But... she wasn't sure if he still felt the same way now...

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, looking from Shippou to Sango, before looking down for a moment. "We'll stay as long as we can. But, we have to be back home before nightfall. Deal?"

Shippou smiled ear to ear at that response, and nodded happily, "Sounds great, Inuyasha! Doesn't it sound great, Sango?"

Sango nodded and smiled, continuing to look at Inuyasha, "It sure does."

The hanyou, again, raised an eyebrow, before abruptly shutting his eyes, "Keh! So are we going to just stand around here or what? Because, if that's all we're going to do, I'll leave right now!"

Shippou's smile turned into a frown, and he pointed accusingly at Inuyasha, "Hey! You can't go back on what you said!"

"I can do whatever the hell I want to do!" Inuyasha replied, sending a quick glare in the kitsune's direction.

Shippou growled slightly, as his paws clenched into fists, "No you can't!" He shouted, his voice raising in pitch a bit, "You said you'd stay for a while, so you're staying!" Then, putting on an innocent look, he nuzzled his face against Sango's cheek, "Right Sango?"

At that, Sango couldn't help but laugh, "Of course, Shippou. Inuyasha and I will stay for a while."

"Yay!" The young kit cried happily, grinning once again. Looking to Inuyasha, however, his grin turned into a smirk, "Told you!"

Inuyasha merely rolled his eyes and snorted in reply.

-

It was a while later; a couple hours after noon, when the pair said their goodbyes and set out to return to the taijiya village; after promising to come back soon, of course. Most of the journey back was filled with silence, though when they began nearing the village, Sango spoke up.

"Next time, we'll have to bring Kirara." Sango stated, glancing at Inuyasha, "Since Shippou said he wished he could've seen her to, I mean."

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders, before crossing his arms, "I guess. Though it's not like she's changed much."

She shook her head a bit, and nudged him in the arm, "That's not the point. They miss each other."

The hanyou merely shrugged again. He understood that, even though he wouldn't admit that aloud. It was just... he enjoyed being with Sango, and _only_ her. Aside from the times he'd catch her sitting outside the village gates, there were always other people around.

"Well, if you object to that, maybe we should bring Shippou back to the village, and let him stay with us for a few days." She continued, once Inuyasha had made it clear that he wasn't going to say anything.

He stumbled slightly, surprised, before giving her a confused look, "What? _Why_ would you want to bring that brat back to the village?"

She smiled and shrugged, "I was only suggesting it, since you didn't seem like you wanted Kirara to come with us next time. And, he might enjoy a little training, since it doesn't seem like he gets much living with Kaede-sama."

"Training? Shippou? Keh!" He spat, wrinkling his nose, "I don't think any amount of training will help him." He added, rolling his eyes.

"He's stronger than he looks, though." She replied, "Besides... I think we did pretty well when you helped with the trainees. I'm sure Shippou could learn a lot."

He snorted and glanced at her again, "That may be, but when we were working with the trainees, I only let you think you caught me off guard. It won't happen next time though."

She raised an eyebrow, hearing that, "You're still saying that? I'm telling you, I can take you anytime and anyplace."

"Oh yeah?" He asked, as he stopped walking and grabbed her arm to stop her as well, "Care to test that theory out?"

"Now?" She asked, blinking slightly, "But, Kohaku and Yukio are expecting us back."

"Kohaku won't worry, he knows we're alright." The hanyou replied, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He knew Kohaku wouldn't worry about them... And Yukio? Well, Inuyasha didn't care what _he_ thought. "Besides, the village is just past those trees; well within hearing distance. If anything happens, we'll know."

"Well..." She looked in the direction of the village for a moment, before turning back to Inuyasha and nodding, "Okay then. You're on!"

"Great!" He said, grinning, as he let go of her arm and took several steps back, "Let's go then."

Sango nodded again and leaned down slightly, moving her right leg back slightly as she dug the heel of her foot into the dirt, preparing for Inuyasha's move.

Inuyasha watched her closely; looking for any sign that she wasn't on guard, any small weakness he could use to his advantage. "You make the first move... Unless you have a problem with that, or something."

The corner of her mouth turned up slightly in a small smirk as she gave a slight shake of her head, "No, no problem at all." Despite her slight protest, she intended to make good on her word. She shifted the weight on her leg, so the toe of her foot was pressing into the dirt rather than her heel. Her eyes never leaving Inuyasha, she suddenly pushed herself forward, running towards him. When she was close enough to make a strike, she punched.

Inuyasha easily ducked to the side, avoiding the hit, but she was still ready. She immediately dropped to the ground, landing on one knee and stopping herself from falling with her hands. With her free leg, she kicked out, trying to trip Inuyasha much like she had done during one of the trainee training sessions.

The hanyou, having already fallen for that move once, was prepared for it and he sprang forward, putting his arms up to catch himself. As soon as his hands touched the ground, he pushed up again, flipping back to his feet. Immediately, he turned to Sango, who was just standing up as well. He caught one of her arms before she could make another move, and turned her around slightly before pulling her back against his chest and crossing his arms in front of her, holding onto both her arms. "Got you! I already saw that move once, Sango. You should know it wouldn't work on me a second time."

Sango instantly tried to free herself from his grip. But when that failed to get her free, she instinctively jerked her arm back, elbowing him, not too gently, in the chest.

Inuyasha gave a short, surprised grunt as he released her, and took a few steps backwards. His golden gaze remained focused on her silently for a moment before he spoke again, "Getting a little rough there... eh, Sango?"

"I guess the exterminator in me got the better of me on that one." She replied, bringing her arm up to wipe her forehead as she did so, "Why? You want to quit now?"

He shook his head, as he leaned down a bit, preparing his next move, "Not a chance." He said, as a mischievous glint began to show in his eyes. If she could take things up a notch, why couldn't he? That thought in mind, he ran forward again. When he neared Sango, he drew his arm back.

Before he could throw a punch, however, she suddenly ducked, causing him to go past her and the would-be punch to go over her head. Then, putting an arm down to steady herself, she turned on her heel and stood up fully, throwing another punch at him.

As soon as he had figured out what she was doing, Inuyasha had turned as quickly as he could, skidding backwards in the dirt slightly before jumping back to avoid her hit. But, instead of backing off as she had done before, she continued to come at him, so he continued to jump back; each of her punches coming only as close as he let them.

Sango growled, impressively for a human, as she continued trying to get a hit on Inuyasha. Now he was just toying with her. She knew it. And, even though it was Inuyasha, it was getting irritating.

The hanyou couldn't stop the slight grin that came to his face when he saw Sango's frustrated look. He was having fun doing what he was. But, not wanting her to get too upset with him, and wanting to take things up a little more, he let her get close before ducking to the side again and hooking his foot around hers, successfully tripping her.

The taijiya let out a short, startled gasp when she suddenly found herself falling forward, and she instantly put her arms out, but that didn't do much to stop the fall. She took a couple breaths, before wiping some of the dirt off her face and looking over her shoulder to Inuyasha, "Now who's being rough?"

He merely shrugged and raised his eyebrows slightly, "That mean you want to quit?"

She pushed herself up off the ground and turned to face him, "Not at all." She replied, her eyes narrowing slightly as she backed up until she was about six or so feet from him. There, she began to walk a slow, yet steady circle around him; studying his form and looking for anything she could possibly use for her advantage.

His eyes were on her as well, as he watched her move. But, instead of turning to watch her when she walked behind him, he remained as he was, facing forward. His ears flicked every few seconds, though; listening intently to her precisely placed footsteps as she continued to circle him.

She raised an eyebrow slightly, skeptically, when she saw that he wasn't turning to follow her movements. However, that didn't deter her. Her footsteps continued to fall until she had walked a complete circle around him. And, as soon as she had finished, she continued walking; beginning another circle. This time, though, when she walked behind him once again, she intended to take full advantage of his turned back. And, as soon she was out of his sight, the taijiya veered off her circle path, and ran towards him.

Inuyasha wasn't the least bit surprised, however. He had purposely given her a false sense of security, having assumed what she would do when given a seemingly clear advantage. As soon as he heard her footsteps fall out of sync, he hunched down slightly, then jumped, flipping backwards and landing behind Sango.

Sango turned as quickly as she could, but it wasn't quick enough. Inuyasha caught her arm and pushed her back before catching her other arm as well and bringing them above her head as he pinned her against a tree, "_Now_, I got you." He said.

She took a few, quick intakes of air; breathing harder than usual due to the short scuffle they had had. "Yeah... yeah, I guess you do." She said finally, looking up at him. She wasn't sure how much time had truly passed, but when it seemed a couple moments had, and he still hadn't moved, she spoke up again, "You can let go of me now, Inuyasha."

He nodded slightly, "Yeah... I guess I can." He said, though he remained as he was, keeping her body pinned between the tree and his own body. His eyes remained locked on hers as well, as yet another few seconds passed in silence. Then, finally, he moved. But, he didn't move away from her. Instead, he moved closer, leaning down until their faces were mere inches apart. There, he hesitated a moment, unsure... of anything at the moment. He wasn't sure what he was doing, or even _why_ he was doing it. The only thing he was sure of, was that he was there with Sango. And that was all that mattered to him.

"Demons!"

The silence that had settled around them was shattered when the sudden cry came up from the direction of the village. And, both Inuyasha and Sango turned their heads to look in the villages' direction.

"The... village." Sango said quietly, turning to look at Inuyasha again. And, at the same time, trying to will her heart to stop beating so fast, "Inuyasha."

Inuyasha glanced to her, before nodding once again, "Right. Let's go then." With that, he moved back and let go of her. Then, he immediately turned and ran back towards the village.

Sango remained where she was only a few seconds longer, before running after Inuyasha. She was a little surprised that he had left without offering to carry her, as he had done before. But, given the... circumstances, she wasn't sure if she would have accepted anyway...

_'What in the HELL were you doing!' _Inuyasha's mind screamed to himself. He shook his head and clutched his hands into tight fists, until his claws were digging into his palms,_ 'Shit, what were you thinking!'_ He growled quietly to himself, until he noticed that Sango was now running beside him. He threw a quick, questioning glance in her direction, before realizing that he had subconsciously slowed down to allow her to catch up. The hanyou blinked, then frowned to himself, though he continued to run at her pace.

* * *

**AN:** There you go. Remember how I said things would get interesting? Well, this is just the tip of the iceberg.


	15. The Rage of Battle

**Z.A.G:** Oh no, no, no. There's _no_ way I'll be bringing Kagome back in this story. So, you don't have to worry about that one ;)

**Kikyo-the-Walnut:** Aw, thank you very much. I'm glad you liked the little fight scene.

**Taka:** Alright, thanks for the suggestion, I'll be sure to keep that in mind :)

**Intricate Evil Penguin O.o: **Hope this didn't keep you waiting too long. Glad you like the story too!

**Raven Cactuar:** Well, welcome to the Inuyasha fanfic fandom! Er... I hope that made sense... I'm glad to hear you like the story so far. And, thanks for the comments!

**To everyone else:** Once again, thank you so much for the reviews. I know I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again; I really appreciate them!

**AN:** Okay, so it looks like I'm getting back on my weekly OtDS update schedule again. Yayness.

And... I realized something. I've been working on this story for six months. That's a long time... for me, at least.

And, I guess this comes as no surprise, but I suppose I should give this warning: **this chapter does have violence in it** (the whole thing is practically fighting, what do you expect?).

* * *

"Sango, can you get to your weapons?" Inuyasha asked, once they had reached the entrance to the village. His eyes focused in on the already fighting demons and exterminators, as he tried to figure out what type of demons they were. But, mostly he watched the fighting, to avoid looking at Sango...

"I think I can manage." Sango replied, looking in at the fighting.

He nodded, "Alright." He said, preparing to run into the village. Before he could, though, Sango spoke up again.

"Inuyasha.." She said, glancing at him for a moment, "Be careful." And then, she ran into the village to retrieve her weapons.

"You to, Sango." He whispered, before running in and joining in the fight.

-

Meanwhile, in the village, or more specifically, in one of the front sentry towers, Yukio was busy with one of the many attacking demons. The confined space didn't leave much room for maneuvering, so he backed the demon up against one of the ledges. Then, with a short yell, the young man pushed the demon over the ledge of the tower. As the demon toppled over the ledge, though, it grabbed hold of Yukio's shoulders, pulling him over as well.

But, before he could fall, someone grabbed the sashes that criss-crossed in back of his exterminator's uniform, and jerked him back roughly.

Yukio looked up, intending to thank his rescuer. But, as he saw who it was, all that came out was, "_What_ are you doing?"

"What does it _look_ like I'm doing? I'm saving your ass!" Inuyasha replied, folding his arms over his chest, "But don't look too hard into it, boy. I was trying to grab the demon."

At that, Yukio's face paled. He knew that he and Inuyasha didn't, and probably never would, get along too well, but... was he serious? "What... did you say?"

The hanyou rolled his eyes, "Lighten up, would you? I couldn't care less what happens to you, but how good would it look for some exterminator to get killed falling off a sentry tower with a demon?"

Yukio frowned slightly. The idea that the hanyou could joke about his life like that wasn't the least bit settling. "Well, remind me to thank you once this is over with." He said, sarcastically.

Inuyasha snorted, "Keh, just don't get too used to it. Like I said, I don't really give a damn what happens to you. I was just-"

"Kohaku!"

At the sound of Sango's voice, Inuyasha immediately forgot what he was going to say, and turned in the direction it had come from, "Sango!" With that, he jumped from the tower, leaving Yukio behind, and running through the mass of fighting humans and demons.

Sango ran towards her brother, forcing herself to run as fast as she could, as her brown eyes narrowed in determination. As soon as she was within a couple feet from him, she slid down into a baseball slide, one arm raising to bring hiraikotsu up to protect both herself and Kohaku's turned back.

Kohaku brought his weapon in front of him, placing his free hand behind the bladed end as he used the kusarikama to block a strike from a demon's sword. "Ane-ue?" He asked, slightly surprised as he glanced behind him to Sango.

"Are you okay?" She asked, moving up to her knees, before shoving hiraikotsu forward and knocking the demon back. As it staggered backwards, she stood up fully again and glanced back to her brother.

The young taijiya gave a short nod as he turned back to the demon he had been fighting, and kicked it back. Once back, he immediately swung his arm out, successfully cutting the demon across the chest.

She let out a short breath of relief, before turning back ahead and running towards a demon. Since she was sure he was all right, she had to return to the task at hand. As she neared the demon, she grabbed hold of hiraikotsu's strap and spun around, cutting through said demon with little trouble. Once it was dead, the taijiya turned to seek out another demon, but, before she could, she heard another voice.

"Sango, get down!"

Without hesitation, Sango ducked down, instinctively bringing her arms up to shield her head. She heard something fly above her head, followed shortly by the distinct sound of something cutting into something else. Once she heard something hitting the ground, she turned her head to see what it was. And, she immediately jumped up and back, seeing a demon, impaled by a sword, on the ground only a few feet away from her.

"Sango, are you... okay?" Inuyasha asked, putting a hand on her back lightly since he could see that she was, obviously, startled.

The taijiya nodded slightly, before turning to look at him, "Y-yeah, I'm fine. I was just... surprised that the demon could get so close to me without me seeing it." She took another few seconds to catch her breath, before picking up hiraikotsu again and glancing to the hanyou, "Thanks. Now, let's try to finish this up, shall we?" She asked, before running forward to continue the battle.

He watched her disappear among the other fighters, before turning and walking forward to retrieve Tessaiga. As he was about to grab it, however, another demon suddenly swiped at him. The claw like fingers, which would better be described as daggers attached to a hand, missed the hanyou's neck by mere inches, as Inuyasha jumped back. But, even though they missed cutting into flesh, the claws hooked around the string of the pouch Inuyasha wore around his neck. And, when the demon pulled its arm back, the string snapped, sending the pouch, and the Shikon no Tama, rolling to the ground.

"Shit!" Inuyasha cursed, once he realized what had happened. He instantly tried to grab the jewel once again, but the demon proved to be slightly quickly, and it grabbed up the Shikon no Tama in its' clawed hands.

The hanyou growled and looked up to the demon again, just as those same claws lashed out towards him. "You bastard!" He growled out, staggering back a few feet after the claws succeeded in slashing the left side of his face. He brought a hand up to his face, and opened his right eye just in time to see the demon leap over the gates.

"Inuyasha!" Sango shouted worriedly, running back to him after she had heard him yell, "Inuyasha, what happened?" She added, seeing that he was bleeding, and noticing that the other demons seemed to be retreating now.

"That damned demon nearly took my eye out!" He growled, wiping some of the blood off his face, "And it managed to get away with the jewel!" He added, throwing his hand forward in the direction the demon had gone in.

"The Shikon no Tama!" She gasped, "It got the Shikon no Tama? But..!"

He shook his head slightly, continuing to growl at himself, "I know! Come on, that's why we can't let it get away. It couldn't have gotten too far."

"Wait." She said, putting a hand on his arm. Then, looking around slightly, she called, "Kohaku! Kirara!"

Kohaku looked up, and over to where Inuyasha and Sango were as he heard his name being called. He glanced around, still surprised about the demons' sudden retreat, then jogged over to the two, "What is it, ane-ue?"

Sango climbed onto Kirara's back, lifting hiraikotsu with her, before looking to Kohaku again, "One of the demons managed to get a good hit on Inuyasha's face. Can you take care of him for me?"

The boy blinked, glancing to Inuyasha, before turning to his sister, "Sure, but..."

"Just what the hell are you doing!" Inuyasha asked, though he knew he already knew the answer to that one.

"Going after that demon, obviously." She replied, before patting the side of Kirara's neck, signaling for her to go. "I'm counting on you, Kohaku!" She called back, before her and Kirara disappeared over the gates, fast on the trail of the demon that had stole the sacred jewel.

"Damn it, Sango! What- where- wait!" Inuyasha shouted, to no avail. He growled again, before running and leaping over the gates himself, leaving Kohaku behind. Bleeding or not, there was no way he was going to let Sango go against that demon alone.

Sango and Kirara were gaining on the demon quickly. When it finally came into view, about ten or so yards ahead of them, Sango brought an arm back, and flung her boomerang-like weapon forward.

Just when it seemed the boomerang was going to hit its mark, the demon ducked, almost as though it had eyes in the back of its head.

"Damn it..!" The slayer mumbled, raising her hand and catching her weapon as it returned to her. "Kirara, try to get-"

"Sango!"

Sango blinked at the sudden yell, and looked back over her shoulder, "Inuyasha? What are you-"

Again, she was interrupted, but this time it was by a growl from Kirara. Before she even had a chance to see what the fire-cat was trying to warn her about, Kirara jumped sharply to the side. However, once again the demon proved to be quicker, and it hit the pair, throwing both Sango and Kirara to the ground, before turning and running away again.

Inuyasha slowed down, before coming to a stop beside Sango, "Sango, are you okay?"

The taijiya sat up, wincing slightly as she clutched her right arm, "Yeah, I'm... fine, Inuyasha."

He leaned down slightly and placed a hand on her shoulder, "But, you're bleeding." He said, not bothering to hide the concern in his voice.

"I know, but it's nothing." She replied, looking up at him, "I'll be fine. You have to go after that demon. If it keeps the Shikon no Tama..." She trailed off, not even wanting to think about what could happen.

The hanyou glanced up in the direction the demon had run in, before looking to Sango again, "Alright, but you stay here. I'll be right back." He said, giving her a short nod, as though confirming his words. Then, he stood up and ran after the demon once more.

_'That bastard!'_ He thought, running along, as his eyes narrowed dangerously,_ 'You won't live to regret this!'_

Once he was out of sight, Sango stood up fully again. She looked back in the direction of the village, before turning to Kirara. The fire-cat seemed to have escaped with only a few scratches; apparently, the demons claws had missed striking her, "Kirara... could you return to the village and let Kohaku know we're okay?"

Kirara made a quiet noise, and nuzzled her head against Sango's side, before looking up at her, crimson eyes blinking.

Sango smiled slightly, petting the neko's head with her good arm, "It's okay. I just want to wait for Inuyasha to get back."

The fire-cat continued looking up at her mistress for a few seconds more. Finally, she made a small, agreeing noise.

"Good girl, Kirara." The taijiya said, with a short nod, "Now, I have one more thing to ask of you. Could you take hiraikotsu back for me? I'm afraid I won't be able to lift it too well since that demon managed to hit my arm.."

Again, Kirara made an agreeing sound, before padding over to her mistress' weapon and taking its strap in her mouth. With one final look back at Sango, she then took to the air, heading back towards the village.

"Thank you!" Sango called after her companion, before turning in the direction Inuyasha had gone a moment earlier. "He'll be back in a few minutes... there's no need to start worrying about him." She told herself.

When ten minutes had passed, and there was still no sign of Inuyasha, Sango began to fear something had happened... Something bad. The hanyou rarely ever took this long in a fight, she knew. Still, he was perfectly able to take care of himself. But, even though she knew that, it didn't calm her nerves any...

She bit her lower lip nervously, looking intently at the spot where Inuyasha had disappeared in. Then, with a sigh of both frustration and worry, she ran in the same direction. _'You'll see, he'll be perfectly fine. He's just taking longer than usual... that's all.'_

After running for a few minutes, the taijiya finally spotted the hanyou ahead; leaning over what _used_ to be the demon that had stolen the Shikon no Tama. And, the Shikon no Tama was lying on the ground a few feet from him. She immediately let out a breath of relief, seeing that he was alright, "Boy, Inuyasha, you sure took your time on this one, didn't you?" She asked, slowing down to a walk.

As soon as Sango spoke, Inuyasha stood up straight. He shook off one of his hands, flinging drops of blood to the side, as he slowly turned to face her.

Sango stopped in her tracks and gasped when he turned. Instead of seeing his normal, amber colored eyes as she had expected, she found herself staring into a pair of blood red eyes, "Inuyasha, what..!"

The transformed hanyou growled and cracked his knuckles as he took a stalking step forward. She was already injured; he knew that because he could smell her blood. But, that just made the urge to attack stronger.

She stepped back as he stepped forward, unsure of what else to do at the moment. She was used to dealing with random demons; not people that she cared about... "Inuyasha, please... y-you have to calm down."

He stopped, and looked at her for a few seconds, before leaning his head down so his bangs fell over his eyes. The fear evident in her voice didn't go unnoticed by him, and he laughed; that eerie, bone-chilling laugh that he possessed only while in his transformed state, "More." He said simply, his voice holding a deep, growl-like undertone.

The taijiya stopped when she saw Inuyasha stopping. "More... what?" She asked slowly, though even as she was saying it, she knew she would regret asking...

He laughed again, then looked up at her, grinning wickedly, "Blood." He replied, shaking his hand once again, flinging more of the demons blood to the ground, "Let me see your blood!" He growled, pushing off the ground and running towards her.

The attack barely gave her enough time to react, so she did the only thing she could think to do; she dove to the side. As soon as she hit the ground, she rolled over and, ignoring the stinging of her already injured arm, stood up, "Inuyasha, please stop!"

"Please stop!" The transformed hanyou said mockingly, as he turned and swung his arm out, trying to hit her with his claws.

Once again, she threw herself to the ground. And, again she stood and turned to face him, this time holding onto her right arm again, "Don't you recognize me!"

Inuyasha growled, once he realized that it didn't look like she was going to fight back, and ignored her question, "Why won't you fight!"

"I don't want to fight you!" She replied, shaking her head, "Inuyasha, please..."

"In that case..." He trailed off, and narrowed his eyes, before running at her again.

As she had done before, Sango jumped to the side and turned to stand up again.

But, this time, Inuyasha didn't give her a chance to get up. He pounced, and straddled her waist, grabbing hold of one of her arms. He raised his free arm, claws ready and poised for attack, "You're going to die!" He said, completing the statement he had begun seconds earlier.

The taijiya's eyes widened then shut tightly as she held her free arm in front of her face, trying to defend herself in any way she could, "Inuyasha, stop!"

* * *

**AN:** Dun, dun, DUN! Okay, please don't hurt me...

Seriously though, if you've been reading my stories, you should have been expecting demon-mode Inuyasha to appear sooner or later.

And, I have a question to ask. Does this story seem too drawn out? I mean, should I just get it over with and end it? Or would you like to see more? Because, I can end it after a few more chapters, or I can run with this idea that hit me a few days ago. I'm unsure of what to do, so I'd like to hear what you guys think. Any and all comments are welcomed.


	16. Goodbye?

**AN:** Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. I took about a week hiatus from writing this story to work on other stories that haven't yet been posted (you can read summaries of these in the 'Current Works' section of my profile), and I've been busy tending to my websites. However, I hope to get back on a weekly update schedule.

And, I would like to thank everyone for their responses to me asking if the story was too drawn out. I really appreciate it! Also, a special thanks to Botan4, who informed me that someone had posted the first nine chapters of this story elsewhere. So, to you, thank you!

* * *

"Inuyasha, stop!" 

The words echoed slightly throughout the small area in which the two were. And, almost immediately, Inuyasha froze; his claws stopping inches from her neck. _'What the hell?' _He wondered silently, his eyes narrowing dangerously. But, even so; even though he felt that he wanted to hurt her, he found he couldn't get himself to move his arm to finish the job, _'Damn slayer..! What's wrong with me!' _The fingers on his raised hand, which had been ready to strike her only seconds earlier, curled into a fist, as his arm began to shake slightly.

He growled, and slowly lowered his hand, placing it on the ground just above Sango's shoulder, "D-damn it!"

When no attack came, the taijiya peeked up at him, before taking a chance and slowly putting her arm down again, "In... Inuyasha?"

His claws dug into the soft earth, as his growling ceased. His mind was screaming for him to just finish her off, and cover his hands with her blood. And yet, there was still something holding him back, keeping him from doing just that.

"Inuyasha?" She asked again, quietly, still unsure; though she was able to keep herself from stuttering. Even though he had stopped growling, she knew how unpredictable he could be while in his transformed state.

The transformed hanyou shut his eyes, and finally released his hold on her arm, "Get a-" His voice gave way to another growl, and it took a moment for him to continue, "Away... Get away from me!"

She wasn't sure whether it was the 'real' Inuyasha talking, or the demon part of him, but regardless, she shook her head, "No! I won't leave you!" It wasn't like she _could_ leave anyway. He was still sitting with one knee on either side of her hips, so she couldn't leave if she wanted to. But, even if she could... she wouldn't. It was a promise she had made long ago; she would stay with him even if he became a full-demon. And, that was a promise she would keep.

"Just... listen to me." She continued softly, trying to keep her voice steady, "You have to calm down."

He turned his head to the side slightly, as his claws continued to dig into the dirt, "S-shut up!" He barked, opening his eyes, and turning to look at her again, "Before I rip your throat out." He added, his tone lowering to a harsh whisper.

She flinched visibly at the threat, but she managed to keep her eyes on his as he turned to look at her, "Inu... yasha... t-the danger's passed, you don't have to fight anymore. You... please, just try to calm down."

He couldn't understand it... one minute, he had been ready and prepared to just finish her off. And now... now, he couldn't even bring himself to make a single strike against her, "Why can't" The growling undertone to his voice ceased, as the red seemed to fade slightly from his eyes. But, he quickly shut his eyes again, "You... who..."

"I... I'm Sango, remember?" She asked slowly, once it became clear that he was trying to remember, or, trying to fight against the demon blood that was clouding his mind. Or... something... "Can't you remember me?"

The transformed hanyou growled again, shaking his head, "I don't! I..."

Then, he suddenly became quiet, and still, as his eyes opened and widened slightly, _'Sango?' _Somewhere in his mind, the sound of her name was familiar. Once more, he turned his attention to her, and this time, a sliver of recognition sparked somewhere behind those murderous red eyes of his.

"San... go..." Was all he managed to say, before his eyes closed again, and he fell forward; passed out.

"I-Inuyasha?" She stuttered, worried at first. Then, as she realized that he had only passed out, she gave a sigh of relief, before sliding herself out from beneath him, and sitting up. And, with a little effort, she managed to turn him onto his back, and get him so his head was resting in her lap.

It was the first time she had ever been on the receiving end of his attack while he was in his transformed state... And it had been an experience that she didn't want to repeat any time soon...

The taijiya let her gaze linger on his face for a few more seconds, before looking into the sky. And yet... even if he did transform again, and the scene ended up replaying itself, she knew it wouldn't change anything... It wouldn't change how she felt about him...

.:-:.

Total darkness. That was the only thing Inuyasha could comprehend. He couldn't seem to get his bearings; his senses were a mess. He could feel himself begin to shiver, and yet, despite that, he was burning up; feeling as though his very blood was on fire.

As his senses finally began to become clearer, the first thing he noticed was the intense scent of blood. At first, it was just the blood of the demon he had chased after, but it wasn't long before he began to detect the smell of Sango's blood as well... _'What happened...' _He asked himself, already assuming the worst, _'What did I do? Gods, what did I do..?'_

Sango wasn't sure how much time had passed, but her attention was drawn back to Inuyasha, when she heard him beginning to mumble. She hesitated for a moment, before reaching down and letting her fingers brush against the side of his face gently; much like what she used to do to calm Kohaku when he had nightmares, "Shh... Inuyasha, it's okay..."

The sound of her voice brought about a small sense of relief, since it let him know she was all right. But still... what had happened? "S... Sango." He managed to mutter after a moment.

"Inuyasha?" The taijiya replied, looking at him hopefully. "Inuyasha... I'm here."

Another few minutes passed, before he slowly opened his eyes again, and looked up to her, "Sango... what happened?"

"You... don't remember?" She asked, blinking slightly as she glanced over to the demons remains. Only after she had asked, did she realize how stupid of a question it had been... Of course he didn't remember; why else would he be asking? "You killed the demon that stole the Shikon no Tama." She said, turning back to him again, "But... at some point, you transformed."

He winched slightly at the last part, even though he had assumed that much, since he couldn't remember anything that had happened after he had chased after that demon... "No... No, I don't remember, but... why are you here?"

"I came to find you, once you hadn't returned." She replied, slowly, "I was... worried about you, Inuyasha."

The hanyou closed his eyes, and gave what sounded like a small sigh, "I'm sorry for making you worry..." However, his eyes had only been closed for a few seconds, when they opened again, and he looked up at Sango urgently, "Sango, I didn't hurt you... did I?"

She hesitated a moment, before looking to the side and shaking her head, "No... no, you didn't."

When he noticed her hesitating, he sat up slowly, and turned to look at her, "I did... didn't I? Sango, you have to tell me. Did I..?"

Again, she shook her head, though she kept her gaze from him, "No, Inuyasha, you didn't hurt me. But..."

"But..?" He asked, after she hadn't spoken up for another moment.

She glanced at him for only a second, before looking away again, "But, you... did attack."

"I... attacked you?" He asked slowly. Then, shutting his eyes for a moment, he shook his head and reopened them to look at her, "Sango, I didn't... I-I would _never_ try to hurt you on purpose. You... you do know that, right?"

"I know." She replied, nodding slightly, as she hugged her shoulders. The taijiya remained quiet for a moment, then looked to him once again, "I know that, Inuyasha. And... and it's fine; you don't have to worry about it. I... I know that you didn't have any control over what happened. So... don't worry."

"Don't worry?" He repeated the words back to her, shaking his head slightly, as though the words made no sense, "Sango, what do you mean 'don't worry'? Of course I worry!"

She looked at him, then looked away once more as she stood up, and rubbed her injured arm slightly, "And I've told you, I'm a demon exterminator; you don't have to worry about me. Besides, this... this wasn't your fault, and I know that. So..." She trailed off, and turned, looking as though she were about to leave, "So, you don't have to worry about it."

"Would you quit saying that?" Inuyasha asked, standing up as well, and reaching out to grab her wrist so she couldn't leave, "I don't care if it was or wasn't my fault. That won't change anything!"

Sango sighed quietly, and turned back slightly to look at him, prepared to say something in return. But, she didn't get the chance.

He pulled her forward and wrapped his arms around her tightly; protectively, "That won't change the fact that I worry about you, Sango." He said quietly, his tone barely above a whisper, "I worry, because I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you... can't you see that?"

"Inuyasha... I..." She suddenly found herself at a loss for words, when she felt his arms around her. Sure, she had hugged him before, and then there was the whole 'sparring incident' that had occurred earlier, but... somehow, she hadn't been expecting this...

Finally, the taijiya gave up on trying to figure out what to say, and she leaned into the embrace, slipping her arms around his waist, returning the hug.

He smiled a bit when he felt her relax, though it wasn't long before the smile faded, as he realized something, "Don't, Sango... please don't cry."

"It's a little late for you to be telling me that." She replied with a small laugh, as she rested her head on his shoulder. She hadn't meant to start crying... but, there was no sense in trying to hide the fact that she was, "I'm just glad you're okay now."

At that, he managed another smile, and he closed his eyes before letting out a short breath of relief. At first, he had thought she was upset, though given what had happened, he wouldn't blame her for being upset... "Me too... me too."

.:-:.

"You sure you have time for this, Sango?" Inuyasha asked, even as she motioned for him to sit down.

After spending a few more minutes together, the two had figured they should return to the village. So, after deciding it would probably be better for them _not_ to mention Inuyasha's transformation, they did just that. And, after returning, and assuring a few curious villagers that they had recovered the Shikon no Tama, the taijiya had asked Inuyasha to let her clean the blood off his face. So, after leading him to her hut, that's what she was preparing to do.

"I can wait, and besides that, it's really not that big a deal." He continued.

"Not that big a deal?" She asked, glancing back to him, before turning back to her current task and gathering the things she needed, "Inuyasha, weren't you the one who said 'that damned demon nearly took my eye out'? I know that, since you're part demon, the wound will be gone within a couple days, but it should at least be cleaned, right?"

He 'keh-ed' and rolled his eyes, "And I suppose you won't take 'no' for an answer, right?"

Instead of responding with words, she just looked back and smiled. But, evidently, that was enough of a response for the hanyou.

He rolled his eyes once more, but sat down without further arguing. Of course, he hadn't _really_ been arguing in the first place. So, he had no problems with it.

Soon enough, Sango kneeled in front of him, and set down what she had gathered: a bowl with some clean water and a cloth. Without a word, she dipped a corner of the cloth into the water. Then, putting her free hand under his chin, she tilted his head upwards a bit, and begun to wipe away the dried blood.

He closed his eyes and remained silent, letting her go about cleaning his wound without distraction. His ears, however, flicked now and then, as he unintentionally listened to a few villagers talk as they passed by the hut outside.

"Ah, it'll take _days_ to get rid of this smell." One said.

"Tell me about it. I wonder why so many demons came this time; it was never like that before." Another responded.

"There wasn't as many injuries as before either, so maybe we should be glad." A woman added.

_'But look at who was injured.'_ Inuyasha thought, frowning slightly as he was reminded of the fact that Sango had been one of the few that had suffered injury. "Sango-"

"You really were serious, weren't you?" She asked, interrupting him before he could get very far in what he was going to say.

"Huh?" He asked, unsure, exactly, of what it was she was talking about.

She moved back a little, and motioned to his face, "When you said that demon nearly took your eye out, you weren't joking." Now that she had cleaned away the dried blood, she could see just how close to the eye the claws of the demon had come; they had missed by no more than an inch.

"Oh, right." He replied, brushing away a few drops of water that remained on his face, due to her having washed away the blood, "But, Sango, what about you? Your arm was injured worse than my face."

The taijiya waved a hand, dismissively, "I can take care of my arm. It's okay."

He gave her a crooked smile, and a look that seemed to say 'yeah right'. "Alright, alright, I know that you can take of it yourself, but it'll be easier if you let me do it for you."

"Eh?" She blinked, surprised about the offer. In all the time she had known him, she couldn't remember seeing him ever taking care of someone's wounds... Of course, that was probably due to the fact that Kagome was the one who tended to that, most of the time, while they still traveled together. "Inuyasha, you don't have to."

"I know, but I want to." The hanyou replied, moving to her side and taking hold of her injured arm. _'It's the least I could do...' _He thought, his good mood diminishing slightly as he looked at the slash marks.

"Um..." He blinked, suddenly realizing something and looked at her somewhat sheepishly, "Don't take this the wrong way, but is there anything else you can put on? I mean, I can't exactly push up the sleeves of your exterminators suit."

"Oh... yeah, I guess I forgot about that." She said, looking at him for a few seconds, before glancing around her hut, "Just wait outside for a minute, okay?"

The hanyou nodded silently, before standing up and pushing aside the woven, straw mat covering that served as the door. "Call me when you're ready." He said, walking outside. Once out, he leaned against the side of the hut, much like he did when waiting for her to wake up. Closing his eyes, he folded his arms across his chest, and waited.

It was a few minutes later, once he heard Sango give the okay, when he re-entered the hut. And then he stopped right inside, raising an eyebrow, as a feeling of deja-vu came over him, once he noticed what she had changed into; it was the pink traveling kimono she had worn while they had worked to complete the Shikon no Tama.

"What's wrong?"

Inuyasha shook his head a bit, as he was brought back to the 'here and now', "Nothing's wrong." He replied, looking to the taijiya, "I was just... thinking, is all."

"Okay then." Sango nodded, giving him a small smile, before sitting down again, "Well, I went ahead and got some bandages for you to use, if you're still insisting on doing this."

"I am." He said simply, with a short nod. He then kneeled down beside her, and once more took hold of her arm. "This won't take long." He added, pushing the sleeve of her kimono up, so he could clean the claw marks.

He quickly tended to the wounds on her arm; cleaning them, and dressing them, though he was mindful of his claws the entire time. Sango couldn't help but wonder if he had always been this skilled when it came to tending to wounds. Or maybe, she realized, he had learned it from Kaede after they had all gone their separate ways.

"That's not too tight, is it?"

His voice brought her out of her thoughts, and she blinked, before shaking her head, "No, no it's fine. Thank you."

He nodded his head slightly, acknowledging her thanks, and finished wrapping her upper arm, "There. Told you I wouldn't take long." He said, giving her a half-smile as he finished the task. Though, once he had spoken, the smile began to fade as his clawed fingers lingered on her bandaged arm.

"Inuyasha?" She asked, noting the sudden change in his expression, "Are you okay?"

The hanyou was silent, before slowly shaking his head and sitting back, "Sango, I want you to know... I never meant for any of this to happen." He said, letting his hands fall into his lap, "And somehow, all of this seems like it's my fault; the village getting attacked, you getting hurt, everything just..."

"But, this isn't your fault." She replied, turning to face him again, "Demons will always attack our village, I've told you that before. And as far me getting hurt goes... well, that's to be expected. I'm an exterminator; I'm bound to get hurt here and there. It's _not_ your fault."

"Damn it, I know all that already!" He snapped, shutting his eyes tightly, "But this isn't the first time demons have attacked because of me bringing the Shikon no Tama here." He reopened his eyes again, and looked to the taijiya, "And today, when I transformed, I could've..." He trailed off, and looked away from her again, as his tone lowered even more, "I can't help but think that things would be better if I just left. We could each go on, and just... forget about everything that's happened. I think that would be the safe thing for you to do, Sango."

She shook her head, looking down at her hands for a few minutes, "F-forget? Safe? Inuyasha, what are you talking about?" She lifted her head to look at him, even though he continued to look away from her, "I don't want to forget you. I..."

"We both know that this would be for the better." He said, as though she hadn't said a thing before him, "If I go, the village will be that much safer; demons seeking the Shikon no Tama, won't attack the village any more."

"It won't stop the attacks completely, though!" She retorted, standing up as she saw him doing the same, "You can stay here, you don't have to go."

"What if I want to go?" He asked, looking back to her. He wasn't sure how he managed to pull it off, but he surprised himself by keeping his voice calm as he asked; even though, inwardly, he winched at the very question.

Sango retreated back a step, as though the words had stung, "You don't... really mean that, do you?"

He turned away from her, knowing that he wouldn't be able to keep his composure, if he didn't, "I asked you, didn't I?" He hated the fact that he had answered her question with another question, but what was he to do?

"But asking it and meaning it are two different things." She said, not believing that he wanted to go. Especially not after everything that had happened that day, "So, why... why are you doing this?"

Inuyasha paused for a moment, stopping at the 'doorway' of the hut. He remained quiet, seemingly thinking over her question, before shaking his head and closing his eyes, "I'm sorry." And, that was the last thing he said, before walking outside.

* * *

**AN:** What's this, what's this? Another cliff-hanger? Yes, it seems so. I apologize for leaving you with a cliff-hanger for the last couple of chapters, but, this seemed like the logical place to stop. And, I honestly didn't plan for this chapter to be this way, but... oh well.

So... please stay tuned for the next chapter!


	17. Moving On?

**AN:** Sorry about the cliff-hanger last chapter, but it was a good place to stop. I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story too. Thanks for all the reviews!

So, is Inuyasha leaving? Will he come back? Well, read on to find out!

* * *

Sango remained standing where she was, stunned as Inuyasha just left. She couldn't believe that he was really leaving; not after everything that he had said earlier that day. 

With a shake of her head, she came back to her senses, and immediately ran outside, "Inuyasha?" She called, looking around. All she saw were the villagers, though, busy tending to the wounded and cleaning up the mess of demons. Her eyes shifted from the villagers, to the village gates, as she pushed herself forward and began running through the village.

_'Please be outside. Please be outside.'_ The same sentence repeated itself in her mind as she crossed the distance between her hut and the village gates.

"Inuyasha?" She asked hopefully, running to the outside of the village. But, her hopes were soon dashed, because Inuyasha wasn't there. The taijiya looked around, but still failed to see any trace of him around her. He was really gone... _'So this is really how it ends..?' _She thought, as she leaned her head down a bit, allowing her bangs to create a shadow over her eyes.

"Sango."

She remained facing the way she was, and, without having to look up, recognized the voice, "What is it, Yukio?"

Yukio came to a stop beside Sango, and glanced to her, "It'll be sundown soon." He began, placing a hand on her shoulder, "If we don't get all the help we can with cleaning up the village, we won't finish before then."

The taijiya was silent for a few seconds, before shrugging his hand away from her shoulder, "I know that." She replied quietly, before turning and returning inside the village.

.:-:.

It was late evening by the time Inuyasha reached Kaede's village; the only other 'home' he had come to know. He continued walking, until he reached the front of Kaede's hut, where he finally stopped. Before he could say or do anything to let her know he was there, Shippou popped his head around the door covering.

"Inuyasha?" The kitsune asked, surprised about seeing him a second time that day. And, even more surprising, was the expression on the hanyou's face.

Inuyasha glanced down to Shippou, nodding shortly as though confirming that he was there, "Is Kaede here?"

Shippou nodded himself, and disappeared inside the hut, "Inuyasha's here."

A few seconds later, Kaede appeared in the doorway, as Shippou scurried outside near Inuyasha, "What brings you here again, Inuyasha?" She asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

"Nothing's wrong, if that's what you mean." He replied, his golden gaze lowering to the ground in front of him. And, before he could say anything else, Shippou spoke up again.

"Sango didn't come with you?" The kit asked, running a few feet from Inuyasha and sticking his little nose in the air, as he tried to see if he could find the taijiya's scent.

Inuyasha clenched his jaw, as his fingers curled into fists at his sides; not out of anger, but out of something else, "No, I... I came alone."

Shippou padded back over to Inuyasha, and looked up at him, "Why?" He asked, his green eyes blinking as he did so.

The hanyou's eyebrows came together slightly, as his claws began to dig into his palms, "It doesn't matter. Just leave it alone."

"But..." Shippou began to protest.

"Of course, Inuyasha." Kaede interrupted before the kitsune could get too far. It was clear that Inuyasha wasn't up to discussing why Sango hadn't accompanied him this time, so she wasn't going to push him, "Now, is there anything I can do for you?"

"I just..." Inuyasha trailed off, and remained silent for a moment, before lifting his gaze to meet Kaede's, "Can I stay here tonight?"

A small, understanding smile appeared on the elder miko's aged features as she nodded and motioned for him to come inside, "Come inside, Inuyasha. You look like you could use some rest."

The hanyou nodded slightly, and followed her inside the hut.

.:-:.

"That should do it for tonight." Kohaku said, wiping some sweat off his brow with an arm, "It's too dark to see anything now, so we can finish this tomorrow."

The villagers he had spoken to nodded in agreement, before each going off to clean themselves up.

The young taijiya watched them disperse, and then reached up to rub his neck, as he walked through the village until he found his sister, "Looks like we managed to get most of the village cleaned up, ane-ue. There shouldn't be too much left to do in the morning."

Sango nodded, as she brushed some dirt off of her kimono, since she had continued to wear it while she had helped with the clean up, "Alright. Thanks for telling me, Kohaku."

He looked around slightly, before following Sango as she walked into her hut, "Still no sign of Inuyasha?"

She shook her head slowly, "No." She said, looking at the bowl of water, and unused bandages that were where they had been before Inuyasha had gone. With a short sigh, she gathered them up and moved them to the side where they'd be out of the way. She could take care of them in the morning.

"Are you worried?" Kohaku asked, remaining near the door as he watched her.

She remained quiet for a moment, before replying, "Inuyasha can take care of himself." Then, turning to face her brother again, she put on a small smile, "Kohaku, it's been a long day for everyone. It would probably be best to go to sleep now."

The boy blinked a few times at the sudden change of subject, but nodded slightly, "If you say so, ane-ue." Even though she hadn't answered his question, he wasn't going to argue with her, "Goodnight." He said, exiting her hut.

"Goodnight." She replied, before lying down and covering herself up, though she didn't bother to change out of her kimono. Then, curling up a bit, she closed her eyes to try and sleep.

.:-:.

With an aggravated sigh, Inuyasha shifted his position slightly as he tried to sleep. Finally, when he couldn't get comfortable, he opened his eyes and looked over to Shippou, then Kaede, who were both sleeping soundly, _'How can they sleep so well?' _He asked himself, envious of that very fact.

After a few more minutes had passed, he stood up and silently made his way outside. The cool, night breeze hit him as soon as he left the shelter of Kaede's hut, and he found it to be refreshing. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head up slightly, before settling himself on the ground and leaning against the outside of the hut.

Once he got himself into a comfortable position, the hanyou settled back and once more tried to sleep. But sleep, he discovered, continued to evade him.

'Kindness is something I don't want or need  
The sunshine would just dissolve me into light'

Inuyasha blinked as the words filled his mind, _'Where the hell did that come from?' _He asked himself, though he already knew the answer. It was a song his mother used to sing to him when he was a child. Why... were the words coming to him know? He didn't know, but he found them... comforting, in a way.

Closing his eyes, the hanyou leaned his head back against the hut, and tried to remember the next set of words.

'Give me a pain as pleasing as your sigh  
So I can feel you all the day and night  
And keep me from fading away'

He felt a small sense of comfort for the first time that day, as he remembered the song. He could almost hear Izayoi's voice singing the words to him again. And, even if it was only a memory, it was enough to let him relax enough to finally sleep.

.:-:.

It was a little before noon time the next day, when Inuyasha slipped away from Kaede's village. He didn't tell Shippou or Kaede he was leaving, because he told himself he'd be back there. If he was lucky, no one would even notice he was gone. But, he knew that was a slim chance, because Shippou had become more observant to things like that...

_'It shouldn't end like this.'_ He thought, as he continued his way through the forest path. Then again, that was the reason why he was going back; to explain himself better. Sango deserved that, at the very least. But, he wasn't planning on staying with her any longer...

With a barely audible sigh, the hanyou looked up. And he immediately stopped in his tracks. There she was, standing about six feet ahead of him on the path. He half wondered how she could've gotten so close to him without his knowing. But, that thought was forgotten once he realized she had come here as soon as morning had come. That was apparent, because, while she once again wore her exterminator's suit, he could see the bandages on her arm through the un-repaired holes in the uniform. Another factor that lead him to his assumption, was the fact that her hair was left down; not in it's usual pony-tail, and not tied loosely back as it had been whenever she wore her kimono.

After a few seconds of silence, his gaze shifted to the left a bit and he looked over her shoulder, to a tree that had suddenly become very interesting. Or rather, he wanted to look at anything other than her face. She used to hide her emotions so perfectly, but time must've gotten her to change that because he could see exactly what she was feeling: sadness, a hint of anger, and perhaps just a bit of confusion.

"I thought I'd find you here; near Kaede-sama's village." She spoke suddenly, being the one who broke the silence between them.

"So you were looking for me." The phrase came out as a statement, rather than a question as he had wanted, "Why?"

She was quiet for a moment, seemingly thinking over her answer, before replying, "They were worried about you. Kohaku, Kirara, and several other villagers, I mean."

"Is that so..?" He asked, mentally kicking himself as the question came out. That wasn't what he had wanted to ask. What he had meant to say was... was... _'Shit.' _He cursed to himself, as his mind drew a blank. He had wanted to talk to her again, and now that he had the chance, he couldn't remember anything he had wanted to say...

"Are you okay?"

Her voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he shook his head a bit, before glancing to her, "For the most part."

She nodded slightly, her dark-colored eyes remaining on him, as they had since she first saw him, "Then, can I tell them you're okay?"

_'Them...'_ He repeated the word in his mind, looking to the ground briefly. He hadn't failed to notice how she kept herself out of her statements; she had been saying 'they' and 'them', rather than 'we' and 'us'. And, he couldn't help but wonder why. "I suppose so." He replied finally, returning his gaze to her face.

This time, however, she looked away as she turned so her back was to him, "Okay." With that, she was walking forward; leaving him just as he had left her the previous day.

_'Don't let it end like this!'_ His mind screamed, as he took an unintentional step forward when she began walking away, "Sango!" He saw her stop, so he continued right away, "Why? Why come all this way just to see if I'm okay?"

The taijiya looked back over her shoulder at him, "Since it had been close to sundown when you left, some of the villagers had been worried about you, since it's dangerous to travel at night." She replied, once again leaving herself out of the statement.

He nodded a bit, before looking to the side. The hanyou wanted to ask her something else... He wanted to ask if she was one of the ones that had been worried, but, for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to ask.

"Inuyasha?"

Hearing her speak his name, the hanyou turned his attention to her once more, "What?"

"Yesterday..." She trailed off for a moment, though she continued to look over her shoulder at him, "Yesterday, when you said you would never purposely try to hurt me... did you mean it?"

"Yes." He answered instantly, without hesitation. He knew he didn't want to hurt her; that was his whole reason for leaving in the first place.

Her gaze lowered to the ground, as she seemed to think something over. Then, without saying anything more, she turned, and continued on her way.

"Why did you ask?"

Once again she stopped at the sound of his voice. Only, this time, she remained facing away from him, "Do you really want me to answer that?"

He nodded, and once more answered without hesitation, "I do."

"I asked..." She began, before trailing off, and falling silent for a moment. And, just when Inuyasha thought she wasn't going to answer, she continued, "Because when you left... that's exactly what you did."

The statement hit him harder than a demon that was after his Shikon no Tama. And he could only watch as she walked away. _'I hurt her...' _He thought, his eyes lowering to the ground as he turned and began his way back to Kaede's village; walking the opposite direction that Sango was.

He had only been thinking of the physical aspects, when he had said he would never purposely hurt her. But, even so, he knew he didn't want to hurt her in any way. And yet, that's exactly what he had done...

He wasn't sure how long it took, but he soon found himself nearing the village. And, once more, it was Shippou who was first to notice.

"Inuyasha? The kitsune asked, running over to the hanyou from somewhere within the village, "Why are you back?"

"What do you mean 'why are you back'?" The hanyou questioned, glancing down to Shippou, as he tried to sound as normal as possible, "Don't I have a right to come here?"

Shippou nodded slightly, though he continued to give Inuyasha a somewhat confused look, "Yeah, but..." He paused for a minute, his nose twitching a bit as he sniffed the air, "Why isn't Sango here?"

_'Damn it...'_ Inuyasha thought, his eyes narrowing slightly. He had hoped he'd be able to escape having to mention that he had just seen Sango. But, Shippou was getting better at using his senses, he realized.

"Why didn't she come back with you?" Shippou asked, once Inuyasha hadn't spoken up, "Did you guys fight or something?"

"Don't worry about it." Inuyasha said, folding his arms across his chest as he looked down to the kitsune, "It doesn't matter."

"So you did fight!" Shippou stated, pointing at the hanyou accusingly, "Why don't you go after her then? You and Kagome used to fight, but you always forgave each other!"

Inuyasha looked to the side, "Tch... That was different." He said simply.

"But Inuyasha!" Shippou began, his paws clutching into fists at his sides, "I don't want Sango to stop visiting me, so you can't fight with her!"

The hanyou turned back to Shippou, raising an eyebrow, "What does that have to do with anything?"

The kitsune continued to look up at Inuyasha, his eyes tearing up slightly, "After Kagome left, I never got to see Sango or Miroku again. And after you started staying with Sango, she started coming to see me again. I like seeing her and Kirara, and I don't want them to stop coming here." He sniffled a bit, then rubbed his eyes, trying to stay strong and not cry, "If you two are fighting, then she might not come back..."

Inuyasha blinked, a little surprised that Shippou would think that, "Shippou, I don't think Sango will stop coming here just because of that." He said, crouching down and putting a hand on the kit's head, "She said herself, that she missed seeing you and Kaede. So, she'd probably still come here, even if we are... fighting." He wasn't sure if he'd classify it as 'fighting', but better to let Shippou believe that, then having to explain what was really wrong.

"Really?" Shippou asked, sounding hopeful as he looked up at Inuyasha and smiled a bit. When he saw the hanyou nod, he smiled more, and then asked, "Then can you go tell her that I want her to come back again, even if you aren't with her?"

"I'm sure she already knows that without anyone telling her." Inuyasha replied, standing up again.

Shippou shook his head slightly, "But, what if she doesn't? You have to tell her for me... Please, Inuyasha?"

"I don't know, Shippou.." Inuyasha replied, looking to the side again, thinking.

.:-:.

Sango sighed, resting one hand on her stomach as she stared ahead at the seemingly endless number of trees, "I should've eaten something before leaving home." She muttered. But, she hadn't eaten. She hadn't even told anyone where she was going, or what she was doing. She had just woken up, got dressed, and gone. "And it'll be after lunch by the time I get back." She continued after a moment, talking to herself.

"Maybe you should've brought Kirara."

The taijiya jumped visibly, as she turned to look at Inuyasha. She blinked a few times, surprised, before collecting herself again, "I think she was still asleep when I left."

"Ah..." He nodded slightly, and looked to the path ahead, as she had been doing before he surprised her, "Well, if you're really hungry, I could get you back to the village quicker." He glanced to her again, then added, "If you want."

She shook her head slowly, "No, that's okay. I'm not that hungry." Unfortunately, though, as soon as she had spoken, her stomach betrayed her by growling audibly. _'Traitor.' _She thought, looking to the side, embarrassed.

Inuyasha, despite trying to hold it in, chuckled a bit, then stooped down slightly, "Come on, Sango."

She looked back to him, silently debating whether or not to accept his offer. After a moment, she nodded and got onto his back, "Let's go."

He nodded and, after getting a firm hold on her knees, began running down the forest path. He could tell she was more at ease than she had been the last time he had carried her that way. He knew that, because the hold she had on his shoulders wasn't as tight as it had been. And, he could see her out of the corner of his eye, as she looked over his shoulder, rather than keeping her head down. Just knowing that she was, at the very least, comfortable with him carrying her like that, was enough to lift his mood a bit. And to think it was Shippou that had talked him into going after her...

Sango watched the trees pass by as blurs, as Inuyasha continued running through the paths and trails of the forest. She wanted to say something to him, but she wasn't even sure what that something was; she couldn't think of what it was she wanted to say.

She glanced to his face for a few seconds, then moved back slightly, before leaning her head against the back of his. And, at the same time, her hands slid across his shoulders, as her arms wrapped around his neck from behind; hugging him as best she could from her position on his back. If she couldn't think of what she wanted to say, then she could at least do that...

A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, once he realized what she was doing. And, while he couldn't return the action right then... while words couldn't express what she was trying to say... he knew what she was saying. And he also knew, that he felt the same way.

* * *

**AN:** There, they're back together. But for how long? Will Inuyasha still insist on leaving the village? Will Yukio ever realize he doesn't have a chance with Sango? Must I continue all these questions?

You'll have to wait and see!


	18. Stay

**AN:** I am SO sorry for the long wait! If you're a member of the forums, you'll probably remember me mentioning that I was having a hard time with this chapter (and it doesn't help that my computer has died on me twice this year), but still, I really do apologize. So, without further ado... here you go!

* * *

It was odd, Inuyasha realized... after he had gone the previous day, everything had seemed so... so _wrong_. Nothing had seemed to make any sense. Well, almost nothing. The only thing that had made sense to him, was the song that Izayoi used to sing to him. Even now, he could practically hear his mothers voice singing more of the words to him. 

_'But it gives me such delight  
To feel you closer now  
I know I am true to myself'_

Another smile came to his face, and he glanced back to Sango, who had yet to take her arms from around his neck, before turning once more to the path ahead, "You know, Shippou really likes seeing you, Sango."

"Really?" She asked, lifting her head slightly to look at him, "I like seeing him too, but..." She trailed off and raised an eyebrow before adding, "What brought that up, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou's smile turned itself into a grin, and he laughed before replying, "Shippou told me to tell you that for him, before I left Kaede's village. He wanted to make sure that you knew that."

It was her turn to laugh, and she did just that, "I like seeing him too, and I'm sure Kirara does as well. I actually feel kind of bad about not going to see him before I met you again, though. Must've been hard for him, not seeing any of his friends..."

He rolled his eyes and snorted, "Hey, what's that supposed to mean? He saw me plenty of times."

"Well, yeah, but..." The taijiya trailed off, trying to figure out how to say what she meant to, "I mean, you remember how close he was to Kagome-chan. I just meant that it must have taken him a while to get used to not seeing her anymore."

"Oh." He nodded slightly and, seemingly satisfied with the short explanation, let silence fall around them once more.

It remained that way until they neared the village, and he felt her arms tighten slightly around his neck. Puzzled, Inuyasha slowed to a stop, then turned his head, though he couldn't quite see her, "Sango? You okay?"

She was quiet for a moment, before quietly asking, "Are you going to leave again?"

The hanyou felt a twinge of pain in his chest at the question. He could only imagine what she had done last night, but he had felt so... lost after leaving. He wasn't looking forward to feeling that again, but that seemed to be his only option, "I think I have to..."

"No you don't!" She replied, sounding angrier than she had when she asked her previous question. But, as she continued, the anger faded as quickly as it had appeared, "Inuyasha, you don't have to go."

He closed his eyes and bent down slightly, releasing his hold on her knees so she could stand on her own again. Once she, hesitantly, removed her arms from around his neck, he turned to face her. "Sango, I thought we already talked about this. I don't... I mean... Dammit, I knew this was a bad idea."

Sango sighed and glanced down, absentmindedly running her fingers over the bracelet he had given to her, "I wish you would think about what_ you _want, rather than what you think is best for the village."

"I can't do that!" He nearly shouted, more upset with himself than anything else, "If what I want puts you and the rest of the village in danger, I can't just- dammit! I don't want to hurt you, Sango, so I have to go."

"What do you think you did when you left?" She asked in complete honesty, "'Hurt' goes a lot deeper than just physical well-being, you know. Being attacked by you hurt, in more ways than one, I'm not denying that. And when you left, yes, that hurt too. A lot more than when you attacked. When you transformed, you didn't have a choice, because you weren't really you. But here, you do have a choice. Can't you see that?"

Inuyasha growled to himself. Why did she have to make things so much harder... "Aren't you listening to me? I could've killed you! There's no telling when I'll end up transforming again, and next time I might..." He trailed off and shook his head, not wanting to even think about the possibilities.

"I have been listening to you." She said lowly, bending her head down so her bangs fell down over her eyes. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, though the gesture was more out of frustration than anger. She remained quiet for a moment, then looked up at him again, "But I wish you would listen to me. I don't want you to leave, Inuyasha. I want you to stay with me! I-" She cut herself off immediately and gasped, covering her mouth with a hand.

He was just as surprised as she was about the small outburst. He blinked a couple times, and the surprise slowly wore off, "Sango?"

She blinked once, then looked away. She hadn't even planned on saying that, but now that she had, she felt as though she were going to pass out. Why? She wasn't sure... Even when she had accepted Miroku's proposal so long ago, she hadn't felt like this... "I want you... to stay with me." The taijiya repeated slowly, looking at Inuyasha hesitantly, almost as though she were afraid. "I know having the Shikon no Tama here will be putting us at risk... but it's a risk that we're willing to take... No one has complained about you being here, and quite a few of them like having you here." She knew Yukio had complained, but she didn't feel the need to mention him, since Inuyasha already knew full well how he was...

Sango looked down at her hands and smiled slightly, then continued, "And Kohaku... I don't know if you know this, but he adores you."

The hanyou made a small 'hmm' sound, which could've been interpreted as a small laugh. It wasn't that he wasn't listening to her, it was just... he was still stuck on her 'I want you to stay with me' line. It was a simple statement... he couldn't figure out how it managed to have such an impact on him.

She looked up again and, as though sensing what he was feeling, and her smile faded slightly, "But, look... I... know that you think leaving is for the best... And, who knows? Maybe in reality, it is, but then again... what if it isn't?" She paused to take a deep breath, then continued, "When you first came here, I told you that you could leave whenever you wanted to, and I know that I can't force you to stay if you don't want to. The choice is entirely up to you, but... I meant what I said. I really do want you to stay at the village." No, that wasn't right. She shook her head slightly, then corrected herself, "I want you to stay... with me..."

"Sango..." Inuyasha began slowly, not really sure about what to say exactly. And really, what could he say? He remembered the way she had looked right before he had gone, then again when he saw her near Kaede's village. She had looked so sad... and hurt. And now she was looking at him with hope, and perhaps just a bit of apprehension.

It made him realize something. She wasn't saying these things just to be saying them. She was saying them, because she truly meant them. Sango; tough, strong, taijiya Sango, who used to always hide what she was usually feeling, was taking a chance and saying exactly what she felt. And, once he realized that fact, he knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he hurt her again. "If..." He began, before pausing again.

She drew in a quick breath, and unwittingly held it in as he began. This was it. If he said he still wanted to leave, then she'd have to live with that fact; because like she said, she wouldn't force him to stay if he didn't want to. _'Please...'_

He looked at her, then smiled slightly and continued, "If you're sure it's what you really want, Sango... then I'll stay."

Sango released the breath she had been holding, and looked at him silently for a few seconds. Then, once what he said had sunk in, she smiled brightly. "You mean it?" When she saw him nod in response, the taijiya jumped forward, unable to help herself, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

The hanyou froze for an instant, surprised, but he quickly relaxed again and returned the gesture.

After a moment, he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back a bit. "Well, shouldn't we be getting back to the village? You said you left without telling anyone, so I'm sure they'll be worried about you."

She nodded and continued to smile at him. "You're probably right. Let's go." With that, she turned to walk the rest of the way to the village, but not before reaching down to take hold of his hand. And, her smile only grew when she felt his hand tighten around hers.

-

"Ane-ue! Inuyasha!" Kohaku was among the first to see the two returning, since he had been in one of the sentry towers, and he immediately climbed down from the tower and ran towards the gates. "You're back!"

Kirara bounded out after Kohaku and passed him to be the first to reach them. With a happy cry, she leapt up into Sango's arms, even though said taijiya had to let go of Inuyasha's hand to catch her.

"Oh, I'm sorry for leaving without you, Kirara." Sango apologized to the neko.

Inuyasha grinned, glancing at the fire-cat demon and her mistress. "See? Didn't I tell you that- gah!" Before he could finish what he was saying, Kirara jumped from Sango's arms to Inuyasha's shoulder, and nuzzled her head against his cheek.

"Welcome back!" Kohaku said happily, laughing when he saw what Kirara was doing. "It's great to see you again, Inuyasha. Um..." He glanced to Sango for a moment, then returned his attention to Inuyasha. "Are you going to stay?"

The hanyou picked Kirara off his shoulder, and let her rest in his arms, before nodding in response to Kohaku's question. "It looks like I am. I guess I just needed a little time to think about some things. But, yeah, you're not going to be getting rid of me that easily."

"You're going to be staying?" One of the villagers, who had overheard, asked. "That's wonderful, Inuyasha! Things just aren't the same without you around here."

"Uh... yeah... thanks." Inuyasha replied, somewhat awkwardly. He wasn't really used to being welcomed into a village, even though Sango had told him that the villagers liked having him there. Actually hearing one of them say it... was different.

"Sango, you still haven't repaired your uniform?" Shina, one of the women asked, sounding much like an overprotective parent as she walked over to Sango and Inuyasha. "You should really fix that. I could help, if you'd like."

The taijiya smiled gratefully and nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Shina. I'd appreciate your help."

Shina smiled as well, and motioned towards one of the huts. "Come along then. It shouldn't take too much time to fix."

Sango nodded once more, but turned to Inuyasha before following the other woman. "As she said, this shouldn't take too long. I'll be back as fast as I can, Inuyasha."

"Don't worry, I'll be here once you're finished." He replied, giving her a small smile, which made her smile even more. Then, once Sango and Shina disappeared inside the hut, he turned and started to make his way towards the back of the village. That was, until he suddenly heard Yukio speaking to him.

"Just what do you think you're doing, hanyou?" Yukio asked, not bothering to hide his aggravation.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and clutched his hands into fists. Putting up with Yukio was not something he was wanting to do, especially not so soon after coming back to the village... "Look, just leave me alone, Yukio. I'm not in the mood to put up with your shit, okay?"

That, however, wasn't going to deter Yukio. "And you think I want to put up with you?" The young man sneered, his own hands clenching into fists, "Do you have any idea what you did to Sango when you left? You're no better than that monk!"

At the mention of Miroku, Inuyasha turned around, growling. He may not have seen Miroku since they all had gone their separate ways, but he still considered the monk a friend. "What the hell do you know! You don't know a thing about me or Miroku, so just shut the hell up!"

"I already know everything I need to know about you!" Yukio retorted, "First you come to the village. Then, you say you're going to stay. Next, you just up and leave. Finally, you come back and start everything all over again. If you're going to leave, then leave. But don't keep pulling this crap."

"Oh, you'd just love for me to leave again, wouldn't you?" Inuyasha asked, his amber eyes narrowing. "Well, that's not going to happen any time soon."

Yukio snorted and rolled his eyes, before glaring at the hanyou once more. "Oh, I just knew you were going to say that. You're going to do the same exact thing you did before, right? You're going to stay here for a while and make it seem like you're not going to leave. Then, just when everyone decides that they actually like having a half-breed here, you run out and leave. Well, let me tell you something, _Inuyasha_." He practically spat out the name, "I don't care how much Sango seems to like you. If you hurt her again, I'll personally make sure that you regret it."

Inuyasha laughed, a short, forced laugh. "Am I supposed to be scared? Sorry, but it's not working. And you don't need to worry about Sango. What happened, happened, and I don't plan on leaving." He paused for a moment, then added. "Besides, it wasn't like she ever needed you worrying about her."

Yukio's temper flared at the last comment, and it showed in his expression. "Just what is that supposed to mean!"

"You know exactly what it means." Inuyasha replied coolly.

"You bastard!" Yukio growled out. Then, without missing beat, he swung his right arm up and out, aiming a punch at Inuyasha's face.

Inuyasha instantly ducked underneath the blow. Then, just a quickly, he reached up and grabbed hold of Yukio's wrist, and twisted his arm behind his back; using the same maneuver that Sango had while they were training the new recruits. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stop this." He said, giving Yukio his first and only warning.

Yukio, however, was in no bargaining mood. "Like hell I will! I've had it with you!" With that, he jabbed his free arm back as hard as he could, hitting Inuyasha in the ribs.

As a result, the hanyou immediately released his hold on Yukio and pushed him away slightly. Yukio, not wanting to waste the opportunity, whirled around and swung his arm out again, throwing another punch. And this time, he succeeded in striking the left side of Inuyasha's face.

"This is that thanks I get for saving your ass?" The hanyou asked, growling as he reached up to touch the side of his face.

"I'd have rather died, then depend on you!" Yukio replied, rushing towards him again.

Side-stepping, Inuyasha avoided the tackling attempt. And, before Yukio could turn around, the hanyou swung his arm back, driving his elbow into the other man's back. Yukio let out a pained sound, and would've fell to the ground, if Inuyasha hadn't grabbed him by the back of the collar and pulled him back up.

"Listen here!" Inuyasha growled, his eyes narrowing once more as he pushed Yukio back against the logs that made up the villages' gates. "I'm sick and tired of putting up with this shit of yours, and I'm through screwing around with you! If you want a fight, you'll get one. But, if you think I'm going to go easy on you because you're a member of this village, you're wrong."

"There will be _no_ fighting today."

Both Inuyasha and Yukio turned their heads at the sound of Sango's voice. Inuyasha let go of Yukio and took a step back, before crossing his arms.

Sango stood a few feet to their left, her hands resting on her hips. Since she had been preparing to start repairing her uniform before one of the villagers brought the would-be fight to her attention, she was dressed in her two-toned pink kimono once more. "Yukio." She began, looking at the dark-haired young man, "Come with me. I need to talk to you."

"Sango?" Inuyasha glanced at Yukio, before quickly turning back to Sango. Obviously, he wasn't too keen about her talking to him alone. He hadn't trusted him when he first came to the village, and he sure as hell didn't trust him now.

The female taijiya's expression softened, and she smiled slightly. "It's alright, Inuyasha. Yukio and I are just going to talk, I'll be fine." She turned to Yukio again, and the serious expression returned. "So, come on, Yukio."

* * *

Next chapter: Sango confronts Yukio about starting things with Inuyasha, while Kohaku and Inuyasha have a talk of their own. 


	19. Talking

**AN: **I'm so sorry that it's taking me so long to update my stories; Maiku has been having a severe case of writers block. Then everything happening with KnA... Mou...

Anyways, I'm not completely happy with the way this chapter turned out; especially since it's rather on the short side... but I just wanted to get something out so you guys know I'm not dead, and that I am working on finishing this story.

I thank those who have continued to stick with me this long. I appreciate the words of support that I've recieved. n-n Maiku loves you all! So, without further ado, here's the next chapter.

.:-:.

"Yukio." Sango began, turning to face her fellow taijiya. "This is the second time I've had to talk to you about Inuyasha, isn't it?"

Yukio shrugged, and folded his arms across his chest before nodding once. "I suppose so, Sango."

"Then why are we talking about it again?" She asked sternly, frowning at his somewhat passive composition. "I've asked you once already, can't you at least _try_ to get along with him? What do you have against him?"

"I don't like him." He replied simply, as though it were the most common thing to say.

"Yukio." She shook her head slightly, while giving an exasperated sigh. "You know that's not reason enough to be acting like this. In a profession like demon extermination, you have to learn to put differences aside. I've seen it done before; I know that that's possible. So please don't try telling me something like 'I don't like him'. I'm not stupid."

"I know that, I've never said that you were." He said calmly. "But what I said is the truth. I don't like him. Not one bit. I know that others can work quite well with people they don't get along with, but I'm not one of those people, I'm afraid. I find it very hard to cooperate with someone like him."

"Someone like him?" She asked, frowning once more as she crossed her arms as well. "You mean someone who's half-demon, right?"

The young man nodded, not bothering to deny it since she already knew it was true. "Yes, that's it exactly. Just the sight of him makes me... ugh." He wrinkled his nose and looked to the side. "I still don't see why you let him stay here, Sango."

The female taijiya sighed once more. "You know why. Not only is he a vital aid to the village, but he's a close friend of mine. No one besides you seems to mind his presense, and besides..." She trailed off for a moment, then quietly added, "I like having him here."

Yukio turned to look at her again, studying her face for a moment. He remained silent for a few seconds, then frowned and asked, "You love him, don't you?"

.:-:.

Inuyasha growled, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the gates of the village. Obviously he still wasn't happy with the idea of Sango being alone with Yukio...

"Um..."

The hanyou's ears flicked at the quiet voice, and without even looking over at him, he spoke. "What is it, Kohaku?"

The boy hesitated slightly before speaking up again, "Could I talk to you?"

"Can't it wait?" Inuyasha asked, glancing to the young taijiya briefly, "I want to wait until Sango gets back."

"It won't take long, I promise," Kohaku replied, "Besides... I don't think you have to worry about Yukio, ane-ue can handle him."

Inuyasha snorted, but turned away from the gates. "I know that." Even so, it didn't mean he liked the idea of her being alone with him... "But, let's go."

The young taijiya smiled slightly, glad it hadn't taken much to convince the hanyou. "Thanks, Inuyasha! Let's go over there," he said, motioning to where Kirara had curled up in the grass. "We can sit there, but you can still keep an eye on the gates, so you'll know when ane-ue's done talking, too. Okay?"

"Fine," Inuyasha replied, nodding. Glancing once more towards the gates, he growled quietly then followed after the boy.

Once they were both seated, Kohaku turned to look at Inuyasha. "I was wondering... Why did you leave yesterday?"

The question came as a mild surprise, and it showed in the way Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Didn't Sango tell you?"

Kohaku shook his head slowly, lowering his gaze slightly. "Well, no... The only thing ane-ue said was that you had gone. She didn't really... give a reason."

"Oh..." The hanyou trailed off and looked down as well, his eyebrows furrowing in thought. After a moment, he looked to Kohaku again and spoke up. "How much do you know about hanyou's?"

Kohaku looked up again, blinking once at the question. "Hanyou? Hmm... not much. We specialize in full-blooded demons, so we're trained and taught to deal with them. I don't... remember learning anything about half-demon's." He paused, then canted his head slightly, "Why?"

Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes, before putting his hands behind his head and falling back onto the grass. "It would've been easier to explain, if you knew certain things..."

"Mmm..." The young taijiya nodded, turning a bit so he could see Inuyasha's face again. "If it's something you'd rather not talk about, that's fine. I was just wondering... But... Was it because of one of the villagers? Yukio?"

Inuyasha snorted and laughed slightly, though his eyes remained closed. "No, it wasn't because of him. Hell, he doesn't bother me one bit."

"Even though he likes my sister?"

"If he tries anything I'll make him regret it." The hanyou growled, before he realized he was speaking out loud. As soon as he realized his mistake, however, his eyes snapped open and he bolted up into a sitting position. "I mean..!"

Kohaku laughed, unable to help himself. "So it does bother you!"

"Keh!" Inuyasha looked to the side, away from Kohaku. "So what if it does? I don't trust that bastard... not one bit."

Kohaku's laughter died down after a moment, and he remained quiet for a few seconds before speaking up again. "You know... He's not that bad."

"Hmm?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, glancing towards Kohaku once more. "So now your taking his side?"

"Oh, no." The young taijiya held his hands up and shook his head. "I'm not taking any sides, Inuyasha. I'm just saying... He's a little difficult to get along with at first, but once you get to know him, he's okay."

The hanyou snorted. "Oh yeah. I bet he's just the nicest guy you'll ever know." he muttered bitterly.

Kohaku shook his head once more, smiling slightly despite himself. "He's helped a lot... We're all grateful for that. Ane-ue is too, even though... ah..." He caught himself and trailed off; once he realized the dangerous ground he was beginning to tread.

The partial statement, however, caught Inuyasha's interest and he found himself looking over at the boy again. "Even though what?"

"No, no, it's nothing." Kohaku put on a smile, trying to brush it off. "Forget about it, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha frowned. If curiousity killed the cat, what did it do to a half dog-demon? "Don't give me that shit. If it was 'nothing', you wouldn't have started to say anything at all. What was it? Sango's grateful to that bastard, even though what?"

The boy donned a slightly bashful expression as he rubbed the back of his neck. Just why did Inuyasha have to be so stubborn at times..? "I was going to say... even though she doesn't... return his feelings."

"Hah!" Despite what Kohaku had just said, Inuyasha sounded remarkably normal. "Why the hell would she want a jackass like him?"

Kohaku smiled a bit. "Like I said, he's pretty nice once you get to know him." He paused, looking as though he were trying to decide whether or not to say something more. Finally, he shook his head a bit and turned his attention back to the sky.

This didn't go unnoticed by Inuyasha, but he merely shrugged it off. After all, if Kohaku really wanted to say something, he would say it. Otherwise, he wasn't going to worry about it too much.

A long moment passed before Kohaku spoke up again. "Inuyasha?"

"Hmm?" Was the hanyou's only response.

Again, he seemed to consider whether or not he wanted to say something. Finally, he continued, "...don't hurt my sister again."

"What?" Amber eyes blinked in a show of mild surprise, as Inuyasha turned to look at Kohaku again.

"When you left... it really hurt her. She wasn't even that upset when Miroku left..." The boy paused and looked down for a moment. Looking up to Inuyasha once more, he continued on, "I like you, Inuyasha, but I'm telling you... Don't hurt her again."

If Kohaku's voice hadn't been so serious, Inuyasha was sure he would've cracked a smile. Not that he wasn't taking the young taijiya seriously; on the contrary, he knew that Kohaku had the skills to back up the threat that was hidden behind his words. It was just... even though he was an exterminator, Kohaku was one of the least violent people he knew. Seeing him so determined to, in a sense, protect his older sister was admirable. Of course, he wasn't the type of person to say such things aloud, so he merely gave a firm nod. "I won't."

.:-:.

"You love him, don't you?"

"What?" Sango was caught completely off guard by Yukio's question, and it showed in her expression. "I... w-what does that have to do with anything, Yukio? We're not here to talk about how I feel about someone."

The male taijiya frowned as he uncrossed his arms. "Why else would you be letting someone like him stay here?" He turned to her, his expression becoming slightly angrier; though it was clear he was trying to keep his calm since he was talking with her. "Sango, do you have any idea what people would say if they knew that a half-breed like him was staying at a demon exterminator's village?"

Chestnut-colored eyes narrowed into a look that seemed somewhere between being angry and challenging, as Sango's fingers curled into fists at her sides. "A _half-breed _like him? Don't you forget that you owe that half-breed for saving your life! He's helped this village, and the people who live here, more than you will ever realize." She frowned deeply and shook her head. How many times was she going to have to go over this with him? "If the people who call on us for help are so narrow-minded that they don't want help from someone who happens to be half-demon, then they can find someone else to help them. It's as simple as that."

Yukio shook his head in frustration, not wanting to believe that he was actually hearing this. "You're telling me that you'd choose him over your own profession?" He asked, failing to mask the disbelief in his voice. "How can you say some thing like that? Don't you have any pride as a demon exterminator?!"

"Don't you dare start lecturing me about an exterminator's pride!" She practically growled. "I've been doing this my whole life, so don't you dare try telling me what I'm doing is wrong. Now, I think this conversation is over." With that, she turned to return inside the village.

"He's half demon for gods sake!" Yukio exclaimed rather loudly, causing Sango to stop walking. "He has the vile, tainted blood of a demon running through his veins. Just how can you feel that way about something as... as_ disgusting _as that?!"

The female taijiya turned to him once more, glaring at him silently for a few brief seconds. Then, she walked back to him, stopping to stand directly in front of him. "Something as disgusting as that?" She asked, her voice surprisingly smooth. Although, while her voice remained calm, her eyes betrayed the anger she felt. "Now you're classifying him as a _thing_? A _that_?"

Though many would have known to have backed off long ago, Yukio proved much too stubborn, or thick-headed, for that. Instead, he met Sango's angry glare with an angry look of his own. "That's what--"

_SLAP!_

Before he could even finish, her palm connected with the side of his face. "_His_ name is Inuyasha, and I had better not hear you talk about him like that again." She spoke through practically clentched teeth, and her eyes narrowed once more. "Inuyasha is one of the most important people in my life right now, Yukio. If you can't learn to live with that fact, then I'm not forcing you to stay here. I'm sure the village could get along fine without you." That said, she turned on her heel and returned to the village.

Yukio lifted a hand to cover his reddened cheek, as he watched her walk away in stunned silence. He had seen her take on demons that were much larger than herself. He had been on the receiving end of her scoldings more than once as well. He had even sparred with her a few times in the past... But that had been the first time she had ever struck him out of anger...

And as though that hadn't been bad enough, she had just basically told him whom she would choose if it came down to the two of them. Not only would she choose a half-demon over her own profession, but she'd choose him over someone of the same species.

His eyes downcast, the young man trudged back into the village.

.:-:.

Things'll pick up again next chapter, and this story will most likely be wrapping up within the next five or so chapters. I've got another InuSan story in the works, but I want to get this one started and at least get Zutto working again before posting that one up.


	20. How Long

**AN: **I think you've waited long enough for this chapter, so I'll spare you any lengthy author's note.

* * *

It was clear from the moment the two stepped back into the village that something had happened. Sango, her arms crossed over her chest, made a beeline for her hut, not acknowledging any of the concerned looks or questions she received.

Yukio, on the other hand, looked somewhere between being in shock and being upset. The fact that he was still nursing a reddened cheek raised even more questions among the villagers that saw him but he, much like Sango, refused to say anything on the matter.

Inuyasha was on his feet the moment he saw them. Although he hadn't liked the idea of Sango being alone with Yukio, that was mostly a result of him not liking the young man at all. He hadn't thought anything would_ actually_ happen, but the fact that _something_ obviously had only made him dislike the other man even more. As it was, the hanyou had to fight against the urge of going after Yukio. Even knowing that it would likely only cause more trouble, he probably would have ended up doing just that, if not for Kohaku.

"Wait for ane-ue," the boy said, frowning slightly as he glanced towards his sister's hut. Even though it was clear that he'd prefer to wait to talk to Sango himself, Kohaku knew that, out of him and Inuyasha, it would be better for everyone involved if the hanyou stayed away from the male taijiya. "I'll talk to Yukio."

Then he was off, heading deeper into the village as he went to search out the other exterminator, and Inuyasha was left to wait.

Sango emerged a few moments later dressed once again in her (still unrepaired) slayers suit and trying, with much difficulty it seemed, to tie her hair back into its usual ponytail. After a few seconds she seemed to grow frustrated and simply gave up, tossing the ribbon to the ground. The taijiya turned to say something to Shina then turned back and exited the village once more, Kirara right behind her.

Inuyasha frowned, his golden eyes narrowing slightly. He was only a few seconds away from going after her (if only to stop himself from going after Yukio, despite Kohaku already having done that), when Shina spotted him and hurried over.

"Inuyasha," the woman sighed and nervously wrung her hands as she looked towards the village gates. "I hate to be a bother, but do you think you could go after Sango?"

He'd planned on doing just that anyway, but he still found himself asking, "Why? What's wrong?"

"It's probably nothing, but I..." She shook her head slightly, turning back to Inuyasha. "She always goes out by herself when she's upset about something. I know her skills are among the best, but I still worry."

So Sango _was_ upset. That had been pretty clear the moment she walked back into the village, but having someone confirm it only made it worse. It made him even more tempted to go find Yukio too; the only thing holding him back was the fact that he knew things would only get worse if he did that. Plus, given the conversation he'd just had with Kohaku, Inuyasha was pretty sure the young taijiya would have no problems in dealing with Yukio.

So, the hanyou instead nodded. "I'll get her."

"Thank you," Shina replied, smiling in relief, despite the fact that Inuyasha wasn't there to see or hear her – he had already sprinted off.

It didn't take long to find her; he found her scent easily enough and even if that hadn't been true, she hadn't gone too far from the village. She was far enough to where she was out of sight, but she could still hear if the sentries started yelling for something.

Kirara turned to look up at him the moment he landed in a nearby tree, but Sango didn't give any indication that she knew he was there. That bothered him more than he wanted to admit. After all, if _he_ could sneak up on her (even if he hadn't done anything to conceal his presence) that likely meant _anything_ could. Kirara wouldn't let anything happen to her, he _knew_ that, but that was hardly the point.

Nevertheless, the hanyou decided to remain where he was, and simply let Sango work out her frustrations. At the moment, she seemed to be going about that by way of training herself. She wasn't using hiraikotsu – and he doubted she'd be able to use her preferred weapon for a while, at least not until her arm had healed a bit more – but she still stretched and went through various moves. A few times he saw the glint of a blade, and he knew she was using her arm-blade, but for the most part, she seemed to be going without weapons.

He watched as she went though the motions of turning and blocking, of guarding and striking out. She shouldn't have had any problems with it – he'd seen her use similar moves during fights or when she trained with the trainees – but it was clear that her mind was elsewhere. Not only did she stumble a few times, but she kept leaving herself open – something that she had always lectured against when working with others.

After she stumbled for what had to be the third time since he'd started watching her, Inuyasha finally jumped down from his perch. Though he made no attempts to quiet his footsteps, it still seemed that the taijiya remained oblivious to his presence, as she had yet to say or do anything to let him know she knew he was there.

Kirara, however, was a different story. Much like she had done when he first arrived, the little fire-cat turned to look at him, her crimson eyes blinking. She seemed to consider something for a moment, then, looking once more to her mistress, mewed as a way of letting her know they weren't alone.

Sango jumped at the sound and she instantly whirled around, falling into a defensive stance only to relax again once she saw who it was. "Inuyasha, when... What are you doing here?"

"Shina was worried," the hanyou replied, offering a slight shrug and leaving out the obvious fact that _he'd_ been worried as well. "She asked me to come get you."

The taijiya forced a small laugh. "She's a kind woman, but it isn't uncommon for her to become a little... overprotective." Still, Sango couldn't help but smile. "I'm sorry she sent you out here... You can go back, if you'd like."

"I might as well stay now that I'm here." He wasn't about to admit that he had no intention of leaving her alone when it was clear that she wasn't as focused on her surroundings as she usually was, but he did add, "Unless you're ready to go back already."

"No, I think I'd prefer staying out here for a while longer." She paused, looking almost as though she were going to say something else. Then, after a moment, she shook her head and simply left it at that.

Inuyasha said nothing as she turned away from him, but when she didn't make a move to return to her training, he decided to ask the one question that was on his mind. "What'd he say to you?"

"Huh?"

"Yukio," it took a surprising amount of effort not to growl out his name. "What did he say to get you so worked up?"

Sango frowned, and crossed her arms as she turned back to face him. "Who says I'm worked up?"

He could've pointed out quite a few things in response to that; her body language, the fact that _anyone_ could tell she was irritated when she came back inside the village, and Shina saying she always went off like this when she was upset, just to name a few. He didn't do any of that though. Instead, he just gave her a _look_; one that blatantly said: "It's obvious."

Apparently, that was enough too, since it wasn't long before she sighed and dropped her arms. "I don't know, it... He didn't say anything unexpected, really, but... It was mostly things about you."

"Me?" He blinked, obviously taken aback by that – not by the fact that Yukio had said some things about him (the hanyou could guess the types of things he would've said, and there were quite a few things he wanted to say about Yukio in return, too). What surprised him was that Sango had gotten upset over those things. "You were upset... because he said things about _me_?"

"Of course," Sango replied, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You're my..." She faltered slightly. 'Friend' didn't seem a strong enough word, somehow, and she couldn't help but be reminded of Yukio's _'You love him, don't you?'_ line. She'd already realized the feelings she held for Inuyasha ran deeper than just friendship, but it had still been startling to have someone else point that out. However, she wasn't entirely sure she was ready to use those precise words to Inuyasha's face, so she settled on adding a quiet, "You're important to me, Inuyasha."

"...Ah," was the only thing he managed in reply. Sango's actions as of late had implied as much – just as his own actions implied the same for her – but hearing her actually say it out loud was something else. It was both better and worse for a variety of reasons, but, for the moment, he opted to focus on the 'better.'

"So... Does that mean you won't get mad if I decide to go find him and punch him?" he asked after a moment, cracking a slight smile.

Despite herself, she couldn't help but laugh a bit. "To be honest, I think he might be expecting something like that, but... please don't. I think that'll only cause more problems, and besides I... I'd really like you to stay out here with me. For just a little while longer, if you don't mind." she hastily added.

The hanyou nodded his reply, saying a simple, "Sure."

It was an odd sort of amazing how easily they fell back into the habit of simply being near and speaking with one another. Everything that had happened the previous day and earlier in the day today wasn't forgotten – neither were so naïve as to believe things would be solved so easily or quickly – but, at least for a short while, those things were temporarily pushed aside so they could simply enjoy the present moment.

And that was exactly what they did. Sitting side by side with Kirara curled contently on Sango's other side, the hanyou and the taijiya spoke quietly with each other. There was no specific topic; it ranged from random observations of their surroundings, to recounting various memories of when they'd traveled together with Kagome, Miroku, and Shippou, and there was even a little light-hearted banter thrown in for good measure.

From an outsider's standpoint, nothing would have seemed out of the ordinary; it would have seemed nothing more than a couple friends enjoying a peaceful afternoon together, and in a lot of ways, that's exactly what it was. However, despite the grins, laughs, and otherwise pleasant behavior, there was an unspoken question hanging between them. One that had been on both their minds since earlier in the day, and one that neither wanted to ask or bring up, for fear of ruining the already fragile good mood that had settled over them.

It couldn't be ignored though, no matter how much they wished it could. So, during a lull in the conversation, Sango steeled herself for the inevitable and took a deep breath.

"Say, Inuyasha?"

"Hmm?"

Sango hesitated for a long moment, before pulling her knees up and finally continuing, "How long... How long will you stay?"

"Sango, didn't we-"

"You said you'd stay," she interrupted, fingering the beads of her bracelet as she did so. "But what I want to know is... for how long? Will it be only until someone else gets injured in an attack? Or maybe until you get tired of being surrounded by demon exterminators?"

The hanyou sighed, half out of irritation, and half out of... something else. Regret, maybe? He had known they would be having this conversation again sooner or later, but he had also hoped that it would've waited until later. Much, _much_ later.

"I don't know," he eventually replied. "I guess until it gets too dangerous, and there's no telling how long that will be."

She started to reply, but he shook his head and continued over her.

"A village of demon exterminators is always under the risk of attack, I _know_ that," he said, shaking his head slightly, "But as long as the Shikon no Tama's there – as long as _I'm_ there – that will only give demons another reason to attack. It's only a matter of time before someone gets killed as a result, and then everyone will want me gone. I'd rather leave on my own, before something like that happens." Not only because he didn't want to see someone die because of his being there, but because he knew if something like that _did _happen, Sango would likely be blamed as well since she had been the one to allow him to stay. She had worked too hard to get the village back to where it was now; he'd be damned if he let himself ruin something she had worked so hard on.

Sango was quiet for a moment. She wanted to say something – wanted to argue against what he had just said, but... as much as it pained her to admit, she knew he was right. They had been lucky so far, but if an attack came at night while they were off guard – or worse, while the more experienced fighters were off elsewhere, that luck might not hold out. One of the trainees, or maybe even one of the non-fighters would likely get caught in the fighting at some point, and then, as Inuyasha had said, he would be blamed for that.

"You're... you're right," she said quietly, regretfully. No matter how much she wished otherwise, she _knew_ he was right. But, that knowledge wasn't enough to keep her from reaching out to cover one of his hands with hers as she gave him a tight, forced smile. "I know you are, but... that doesn't change the fact that I wish you would stay. It would be kind of nice..." She trailed off and paused, trying to swallow past the lump that was beginning to form in her throat before she continued, "I'd really like it if you could... if you could live at the village."

Inuyasha hadn't missed the way 'stay' had become 'live,' nor was he oblivious to the meaning of the change. Staying was only temporary, and there was always the possibility that he would leave again at some point. Living, meanwhile, meant just that. _Living_ there – staying without the intention of leaving. That she would even say something like that meant a lot, and, perhaps more importantly, she wasn't the only one who would've liked something like that, even if such a thing wasn't possible.

"Sango..." He didn't – _couldn't_ – look at her, but the hanyou did give her hand a squeeze, even as he continued, "I can't promise you forever. Not... not yet." There was a 'maybe not ever' hidden somewhere beneath the words, but, for her sake as well as his own, he refrained from speaking that part aloud.

It was an honest answer. Sango knew that, and she appreciated the fact that he could be open with her, even if it wasn't something she was particularly glad to hear. So, she nodded, and though she tried to keep her voice steady, there was a slight waver to it as she finally replied, "Then... Then I won't ask you to."


	21. Finale

**AN: **Well, here we are. It's been a long and bumpy ride, but we're finally at the end. To those who have stuck with this story from the beginning, and to everyone who's left reviews and words of encouragement, you have my sincerest thanks. There's a lot more I'd like to say, but I'll save that for after the epilogue.

* * *

The rest of the day passed without much incident. Inuyasha and Sango were both on the quieter side once they returned to the village, but neither would admit why that was. If asked, Sango would only smile (despite it lacking its usual warmth) and give a simple "It's nothing." Most people avoided asking Inuyasha since they had become accustomed to the way he acted in the time that he'd been at the village, but the couple who _did _dare to question the hanyou only got a sharp, "Nothing!" in reply.

By the time the moon had climbed into the sky, causing the villagers to turn in for the night, Inuyasha's mood had only darkened. It was no ones fault, and he certainly couldn't blame Sango for bringing up something that would've had to have been addressed again some day, but he was still ticked off. Not at Sango or anyone else, but at the Shikon no Tama – that damn jewel. He was angry at himself too, but it was a lot easier to focus his disdain onto the jewel.

After settling in his usual sentry tower, the hanyou pulled the pouch from around his neck (since Kaede had kindly fixed him a new one the previous night) and dumped the Shikon no Tama into his hand. The faint moonlight added an eerie sort of glow to the ethereal light it already put out due to its holy power but, after only a few seconds, Inuyasha let out a low growl of frustration and closed his clawed fingers around the jewel.

This was bullshit. Complete and utter _bullshit_. It had been over a year already, and he still had no idea what the hell he wanted to do. That indecision had never bothered him too much before. Sure it was annoying having to constantly be on guard and having to fight against every pathetic demon who thought it might have a chance at taking the jewel from him, but that was an annoyance the hanyou had easily put up with.

Now, though... now it was proving to be more than just a simple annoyance. The jewel wasn't just costing him a few hours of sleep, or a few injuries from fighting. It was costing him something more, something... that he really didn't want to think about. Not because it was something that he didn't want – but because it was something that he _did_ want. Very badly. It was simply something that he couldn't have, not as long as the jewel remained in his possession.

Which brought him back to the same point: the indecision was fucking ridiculous. Inuyasha knew what he _didn't _want, so why the hell couldn't he decide what he _did_ want? He knew he didn't want to become human – he definitely, _definitely_ didn't want that. He had been willing to become human for Kikyou, so they could be together, but now that that was no longer an option, it wasn't something he would ever consider again.

On the other side of things, there was the idea of using the jewel to become a demon. That was what he had always wanted, what he'd always said he would do once he was given the chance, but... ever since Goshinki had broken Tessaiga – ever since his demon blood had taken over and caused him to transform that first time, there had been a little bit of doubt in the back of his mind. What if, when he used the Shikon no Tama to become a full-blooded demon, _that_ was the type of demon he became? Not a demon that could control themselves like his father – or hell, even Sesshoumaru – but one whose only thought was of killing. The very possibility that he could become someone – some_thing_ – that enjoyed ripping into anything and anyone was what kept him from using the jewel to become a full demon.

Uncurling his fingers, Inuyasha turned his attention back to the jewel. If he didn't use the jewel to become human, and he didn't use it to become a demon, what did that leave? That left his choosing to remain a half-demon, of course, but that meant keeping the jewel with him and letting himself remain a target. It also meant anyone around him would be in danger, and...

_Dammit!_ The hanyou growled and dropped the Shikon no Tama back into the pouch, and then tucked it back into its place beneath his haori. It was no use. The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. Right now, he needed to stop thinking and just... live, he guessed. Don't think about the 'what ifs' or the 'could be's,' just focus on the 'now.' Sango deserved that, at the very least. She deserved much _better_ than that, but she had at least seemed willing to resign herself to this... whatever it was they had between them now. It couldn't last – Inuyasha knew that, and Sango did as well – but as long as she was willing to put up with it, he would take whatever she gave. He may have been proud, but he wasn't too proud to admit that he could also be selfish.

Stuffing his arms into his sleeves, he settled back and closed his eyes. Right now, though, he needed to sleep. Hopefully he could find something to distract him from _those_ types of thoughts once morning came...

.:-:.

"...sha."

"...Inuyasha..."

The hanyou groaned, struggling to open his eyes again. "What the hell...?" He shook his head slightly and, with a little effort, finally managed to push himself up.

Inuyasha took in his surroundings, or more appropriately, the lack thereof. It was as though he had fallen into some sort of black void, there were no distinguishable shapes or landmarks he could make out – the only bit of color, aside from himself, that he could see were a mess of sakura petals that were littered across the ground (or at least what passed for the ground).

Climbing back to his feet, he frowned. Just where the hell was he? And how had he _gotten_ there, for that matter? Come to think of it, what had woken him up? He was certain it was important, so why couldn't he-

"Inuyasha."

Turning was almost instinct, a gut reaction to the voice that had called his name. As automatic as that had been, though, he couldn't help but freeze the second he came face to face with his past. "Ki... Kikyou?"

And indeed, the woman standing before him was none other than the tragic priestess. "Inuyasha, I've wanted to see you for so long."

"Kikyou..." That seemed to be the only word he could form at the moment, and suddenly, he wanted – _needed_ – to touch her, just to prove to himself that she wasn't merely a figment of his imagination. He stepped closer to her and raised his hands towards her face, only to hesitate. What would he do if she wasn't really there? Hell, what would he do if she _was_?

At his hesitation, Kikyou smiled an understanding, yet somehow sad looking smile; it was the kind of smile she was most known for giving. "It's all right, you don't have to be afraid of me," she said, reaching up to gently cup the side of his face in her hand.

Inuyasha closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, exhaling a barely audible sigh. With little more hesitation, he lifted his hand to cover hers. "Kikyou, how..."

"Does it matter?" she asked calmly, continuing to look up at him. "I'm here now... I just wanted to see you."

"I... I've wanted to see you, too..." the hanyou admitted, opening his eyes again so he could look at her. "I thought... I thought you were gone."

Her smile faded slightly, even as her thumb brushed his cheek tenderly. "My body may be gone, but that doesn't mean I've left you."

Inuyasha didn't say anything in response to the miko's comment, but he did allow himself to smile as a way of showing how much the statement meant.

Kikyou closed her eyes, allowed herself to bask in his warmth for a few more seconds, and then lowered her hand as she took a step back and canted her head. "Things seem to be going pretty well with your life in the demon exterminator's village."

He had been surprised to see Kikyou at all, but that surprise had been nothing compared to what he felt now. Nevermind how they were even having this conversation in the first place – just _how_ did she know that he was currently staying with Sango?

"You seem happy there, Inuyasha," the priestess continued, clarifying what it was she wanted to know, "What's the matter? Why do you continue to hesitate?"

The hanyou blinked in surprise, and then cast his eyes down, suddenly feeling very guilty. Whether that guilt was on Sango or Kikyou's behalf, though, he wasn't sure. "Yeah... Yeah, I am happy, but Kikyou, I..." He shook his head. "That doesn't matter."

"Why not?" she asked. "Do you not deserve to be happy, Inuyasha?"

He growled softly to himself, his hands curling into fists at his sides. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that, coming from Kikyou, that was a very significant question, but he couldn't bring himself to focus on that just yet. "It doesn't matter whether I'm happy or not. Not if it means other people are in danger. Not if..." Not if it meant _Sango_ was in danger.

"Inuyasha," Kikyou sighed and Inuyasha briefly thought he had said something to upset her. Much to his surprise, however, when he looked at her again, she had a small smile on her face. "Are you really that blind?"

"What..." Furrowing his brows, the hanyou frowned slightly. This was the woman he had loved – the woman who would _always_ hold a piece of his heart even in death – but that didn't mean he wasn't at least a _little_ offended at the comment. "What are you talking about?"

Rather than immediately replying, the miko stepped closer to him and reached up. Inuyasha thought she would touch his face again, but her hands instead went to the pouch around his neck. "The answer is right in front of you."

"The... Shikon no Tama?" he asked, amber eyes narrowing slightly as his hands wrapped around both of hers. "Kikyou, I don't..."

"Then stop," she interrupted, "Stop thinking, and close your eyes."

Inuyasha hesitated, still skeptical, but eventually he did as she asked and closed his eyes.

"Just relax," Kikyou continued softly, and Inuyasha found himself doing just that as she continued to speak soothingly to him. "Don't think about what's right or wrong... Don't worry about what you should or shouldn't do... Just take a deep breath and relax."

She remained silent for a moment, as though giving him time to follow the instructions. Then, once satisfied that she had waited long enough, she started to pull her hands away from him.

The moment he felt her start to pull away, however, his grip on her hands tightened and he opened his eyes. "Kikyou-"

"Shh..." The priestess firmly pulled away from him, though she did immediately reach up to cup his face in her hands. "It's all right, Inuyasha. No one will blame you for letting go."

There was a double meaning to her words, he _knew_ that, but he still shook his head, and it took every ounce of his willpower not to cover her hands again. "Kikyou, look at us. My life was yours and yours was mine, remember? But now..."

"Now you remain in the world of the living, while I don't," she finished for him, lowering her hands as she did so. "And that is how it should be."

"But we were supposed to..." he started, only to trail off again. Dammit, why did he suddenly seem incapable of finishing a complete sentence?

"Inuyasha, do you want to die?"

"No!" the hanyou immediately replied, jumping at the sharpness in his own voice. Then, cringing in something akin to shame, he looked to the side and repeated a bit more normally, "No... Not yet."

"Good," Kikyou said, and it was a miracle Inuyasha didn't give himself whiplash from turning back to her so quickly. "I don't want you to die yet, either."

"Then..." He hesitated, and fought with the question before finally forcing himself to ask, "What _do_ you want?"

Kikyou smiled. "I want you to be happy."

"But I can't-"

"What's happened to you, Inuyasha?" she asked, and if it were anyone else, he would've long tired of the fact that she kept interrupting him – even if he _did_ kind of deserve it, at this point. "It isn't like you to give up so easily."

What could he say to that? She was absolutely right, there was no doubt that about. Unable to think of anything to say in response, Inuyasha remained silent, and it wasn't long before Kikyou spoke up again.

"What happened to never giving in? What happened to fighting for what you want? You do know what you want, don't you?"

"...Yeah," he finally admitted with a nod. "I do, Kikyou."

"Then fight for it. Fight to live your life the way you want, and... be happy. For me." Leaning up, she pressed a gentle kiss to the hanyou's cheek and, when she pulled back again, there were tears shining in her eyes, but she was smiling. "And most of all, Inuyasha, be happy for yourself."

.:-:.

Inuyasha awoke with a start, amber eyes blinking open and then looking around. When he realized he was sitting in the sentry tower of the exterminator's village, he took a breath and leaned back against the railing again.

A dream... It had all been a dream. Still...

In a quick movement, the hanyou was on his feet and leaning out over the guard rail, looking over the village; specifically, his eyes were drawn to one particular hut – the one Sango resided in. It may have only been a dream, but Kikyou had stirred something inside of him – it was as though his usual determination and drive had gone dormant, only to be reawakened once again at the priestesses words. He felt revitalized, and he was ready to fight – he was _going_ to fight. Not for what he _thought_ was best, but for what he _wanted_.

Tilting his face upwards, he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.

_Thank you, Kikyou_.

.:-:.

Sango stretched and rolled her shoulder experimentally once she'd finished dressing in her kimono. Her arm was still tender, which was to be expected being that she was only human, but moving it didn't cause _too_ much pain. She still wouldn't be able to use hiraikotsu just yet, but the injury shouldn't interfere when it came to training with the others.

She'd let Kohaku or some of the others handle any exterminations they were called to for a while too. Not only because of her arm, but because there was still the point of her uniform needing repaired. Shina had more or less commandeered the suit once Sango had changed out of it the previous night, anyway. The taijiya couldn't find it in herself to blame the woman for that, either. Even if it had only been a few tears in the arm, it was still dangerous – and not to mention, unprofessional – for a demon slayer to have a damaged suit.

...of course, that meant she was going to have to find something else to occupy her time with. Repairing the uniform wasn't too much work, so Sango knew that Shina would be able to handle it on her own. And there were only a couple training sessions per day, so there wasn't much else to do. She could always take Kirara and travel to other villages to see if she could recruit anyone into the demon slaying profession but, ever since word of the villages' restoration had gotten out, most recruits came there on their own. It wasn't as though they were desperate for new members either, so doing that seemed a little silly besides.

Sighing, Sango reached up to run her fingers through her hair. She really had hoped to find something that would keep her busy, so she could keep her mind preoccupied. As it was though, it seemed that she was going to have some time to herself now. Normally that would have been appreciated, but now... now that wasn't something she wanted. Now, when she stopped to think, she found herself thinking about Inuyasha; his leaving, his coming back, the inevitable idea of his leaving again – and for good. He'd told her that he couldn't stay forever, and she had known that was true, even when she had asked him to return with her. As long as he carried the Shikon no Tama with him, it would be dangerous for him to stay in any one place for too long. The fact that he'd stayed with her _this_ long meant more than she could say, and there was no denying that she wished he could live there, but... she couldn't afford to be selfish.

_Maybe I will see if Shina needs help_, she thought as she stepped outside her hut. Or, at the very least, perhaps the woman wouldn't mind a bit of company. It would only be for a short while, but at least it would provide some distraction. First there was the matter of breakfast, though. She'd find Shina after getting some food, and then–

"Sango!"

The taijiya wasn't even able to turn around before she suddenly found herself swept up into a pair of arms.

"Ahh!" she cried, startled, gripping onto him – one arm around his shoulders, and the other clutching at his front. _This must've been what it was like for Kagome-chan with Kouga..._

For his part, Inuyasha didn't look the least bit apologetic for surprising her. He merely grinned at the woman in his arms before setting her down again, although his hands remained on her waist – a move that further surprised Sango considering there were other people around, since the other villagers were beginning to awaken and bustle around.

"Sango," he began, and there wasn't a thing in the world that could wipe away his smile. "I know what I want."

"What you want?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

"Right!" He nodded. "I mean, I still don't know if I should become a human or a demon or stay the way I am now, but none of that matters right now. I may not know what I want to become, but I know that I want to stay here."

Sango gaped, her eyes wide as she stared at him. A part of her was suddenly very sure that this was only a dream. She didn't want it to be – she _wanted _to hear those words from him – but hadn't they just talked about this yesterday? She didn't want to get her hopes up, not again. "Inuyasha? I thought you..."

"I know, and I did," he interrupted, his smile fading slightly. "But that was yesterday, and... Sango, I've wanted to stay here for a long time. I think I even wanted it back when we first ran into each other and you asked me to come back to the village with you. I just... I didn't think it was possible."

"Because of the jewel?" she asked carefully. Seeing him nod his response, the taijiya paused for a moment and then continued, "But you still have it with you, right? You said yourself that you still don't know how you want to use it, so what... What are you saying?"

"I'm _saying_ that this..." The hanyou lowered his voice slightly, as though he were just now realizing they had gained the attention of a few curious villagers. "This is what I want. I want to stay here – _live_ here... With you."

Any chance she had at not getting her hopes up vanished with those last words. Sango couldn't have stopped the elated smile from spreading across her face even if she wanted to, just as she couldn't hide the fact that her eyes were shining with unshed tears – _happy _tears. "Inuyasha..."

All too soon, though, the gravity of the situation struck and Sango swallowed as she tried – and failed – to rearrange her features into a more neutral expression. "I-I want that too, you know I do, but... What about the jewel? What about... what about the dangers? The attacks, the–"

"To hell with all that!" Inuyasha barked, and Sango couldn't help but laugh since the sharpness of his words were somewhat offset by the fact that he was still grinning. "I'm a half-demon and you're a demon exterminator – hell, we've killed numerous demons together, Sango. No one said this'll be easy, but dammit, I want to stay and protect this village with you."

"Do you mean it?" she asked, finally giving up her losing battle of trying to remain skeptical. "You'll really stay, even if there are more attacks? Even if someone gets hurt?"

"That won't happen," he replied, and both his tone and expression had changed to one of complete seriousness. "As long as I'm here – and I'll be here for as long as you let me – I won't let anything like that happen, because..." He hesitated slightly, his gaze lowering. But, after only a few seconds, he took a deep breath and looked to the slayer once more. "Because, Sango, protecting you and this village is what I want to do. It's the only thing I could wish for."

Sango smiled, but before she could say or do anything in response, a bright light suddenly distracted them both.

Stepping back, Inuyasha pulled the pouch – which the light was emitting from – from around his neck. "What the he– ow! Ow!" Trying to grab the Shikon no Tama proved to be a bad idea since, as the hanyou quickly found out, the jewel was burning hot. Trying to toss it from one hand to the other in an attempt to alleviate the burning probably wasn't the best thing to do either, since it wasn't long before the jewel ended up falling to the ground as a result.

As soon as it hit the ground, both Inuyasha and Sango – as well as the other onlookers that had started watching the scene – were shocked to see it shatter. But, rather than having to watch helplessly as countless shards scattered across the lands, the broken shards all began emitting the same bright light the whole jewel had, and it wasn't long before they were forced to shield their eyes from the brightness.

When the light finally began to fade, Kirara was the first to react. The fire-cat gave a happy cry and, when Sango lowered her hand away from her eyes, she couldn't help but gasp. "Mi-Midoriko-sama?"

"Midoriko?" Inuyasha echoed, glancing first to Sango and then to the woman who was suddenly standing before them.

The woman – and indeed, it was Midoriko – smiled. If not for the fact that she wore armor over the usual garments of a priestess, as well as the fact that she seemed to emit the same soft, ethereal glow of light the complete Shikon no Tama had, nothing about her would have seemed too different, compared to any other person. "Inuyasha, your wish has been heard."

"What?" The hanyou's eyes narrowed in slight confusion. "What are you talking about? I didn't... I didn't make a wish."

Midoriko laughed, although there was no sense of scorn or mockery in the sound. "But you did say 'it's the only thing I could wish for.' You may not have made it into a wish when you spoke aloud, but your heart and your mind..." She trailed off and lifted her hands, crossing them over her own heart. "They spoke for you, and they wished for the same thing. The jewel has chosen to respond to that."

Once again Inuyasha found himself looking to Sango, whose confused (and mildly awestruck) expression only seemed to mirror his own. Turning back to the ancient miko, he asked, "What's that mean? What's it going to do?"

The priestess extended her arms again, indicating the village around her. "You wished for the protection of this village, and that is the wish it will grant. For as long as you remain here, no harm shall befall this place. It shall become a safe-haven; beings that would cause harm to the village or to the ones who live here will not be permitted to cross its gates." She paused there, her arms lowering back to her sides again. Then, after waiting a few moments to let all she had said sink in, she asked, "Is that acceptable?"

Acceptable? It was damn near perfect! Almost a little too perfect, in fact. Inuyasha was having a little trouble believing all of this. Having Midoriko appear would've been surprising enough by itself, but to have his (partially) unspoken wish granted as well... It all seemed too good to be true. What if...

Before the thought could finish, he felt Sango's hand slip into his and he turned to her. She was smiling up at him and her eyes were bright and hopeful, but there was something that bugged him... Something about how tightly she held onto his hand, something about the way she was holding herself...

_Ah..._ Realization hit, and the hanyou could've kicked himself. He was hesitating again, and that scared her. He sure as hell wasn't hesitating because of her or because of what it would mean if Midoriko's promise rang true, but Sango couldn't know that. So, he offered the slayer a small smile, and when his fingers curled around hers, he saw some of that tension leave.

Their hands remained joined, even when he returned his attention to Midoriko and answered with one single word, "Yes."

"Then it will be done," Midoriko said, and only a few seconds later her body began to disappear as the light surrounding her began to dissipate. She looked from Inuyasha to Sango, and then smiled fondly as her gaze landed on the fire-cat sitting near Sango's feet. Then she was gone, as was all traces of the sacred jewel.

For a few minutes, nobody moved or said a thing. It was as though everyone (or at least those who had witnessed the scene with the ancient priestess) was trying to work out what had just happened, what the miko's promise would mean, and most of all, whether it had just _really_ happened or not.

It wasn't until some of the villagers began murmuring quietly to each other that Inuyasha took a deep breath, exhaling a bit of a sigh as he turned once more to the woman beside him.

Sango gave him a somewhat-nervous looking smile. "No more jewel..."

"No more jewel," he repeated, nodding. "And the village is supposed to be safe."

"It will be," she said quickly, without an ounce of doubt in her voice. "Midoriko-sama promised, so... It's true."

Both were silent for a few seconds. It was odd how Midoriko's appearance and subsequent vow could disrupt the confident, determined air that had surrounded them prior to her arrival. Now, despite their hands remaining clasped together, it was as though neither were sure what to say or do. The main obstacle that had stood between them – the jewel, and the danger that followed it – was gone, only moments after they'd vowed to fight against those dangers together. It was a lot to take in at once.

"So, what does–"

"Does that–"

Both stopped abruptly, each giving a slightly nervous laugh (or chuckle, in Inuyasha's case) as they started speaking at the same time. Inuyasha then nodded to Sango, as a way of telling her to go on.

"Um..." The taijiya cleared her throat, glancing down briefly before she looked to him and spoke. "What happens now? What... What are you going to do...?"

As unsure as he had been in the moments following Midoriko's arrival and disappearance, his reply came easy enough. "I already told you, I want to stay here," he replied. Then, lowering his voice slightly, his gaze slid off to the side as he added, "I want to stay with you, as long as–"

'As long as the offer still stands,' was what he had intended to say, but he wasn't able to finish that statement since Sango suddenly surprised him by kissing him. The hanyou made a small sound of surprise, but it wasn't long before he returned the gesture as his arms wrapped around her waist.

At the moment, he didn't care that they'd gained a bit of an audience, or that a few of the villagers had taken to cheering, or even that one particularly loud voice had declared, "It's about time!" much to the amusement of those who had heard. None of that mattered, because this – a woman he cared for, people who accepted him for who he was, and a place he could actually consider _home_ – was exactly the thing he had wanted. It had taken a lot to get there but once all had been said and done, and once the dust had settled, it had all been worth it.

There was no doubt about that in either Inuyasha or Sango's mind.


End file.
